The Great Novak
by The Dark Knight's Princess
Summary: A/U Fic: Sometimes the most powerful love of all is the love that is forbidden. Sometimes, that forbidden love is the love that makes the heart beat just a little bit faster as longing and desire slowly begins to devour the soul with such a love. A tale of intimacy and intensity and how those two can come together to from this little thing that we call love. A/C Pair of course!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know, I know, I'm going to update DITR, I promise. I'm not abandoning it because I love that story, but I can multitask, you guys know that. **

**Also, I guess I should address this here; A Day in the Life is not one of my priority stories. It's a story that I use as an out for writer's block and sometimes, I even get writer's block on that, but it's not a priority of mine, which is why it is updated a lot less frequently. **

**I hope judging by the title of this story a few of you may have been able to figure out what this story is based on and if not…I urge you to go find the book, read it, watch the movie, because it is GREAT! (Pun intended Hehehe). I don't know where this suddenly came from, but it popped into my head and I realized just how perfect it is! I mean no one has EVER done this and I guess I wanted to be the first, Hehehe. **

**Some things will be similar, but most things are gonna be original and my own because I don't believe in forgery. It sucks. Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this because I'm extremely excited about it. I literally modernized the story hehehe.**

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own any of the Law and Order characters. And in this I'm paying F. Scott Fitzgerald his dues, because that part of the story isn't mine either. Just using for entertainment purposes :)**

Alex's hand shakes violently as she slowly brings the tea cup to her lips. She just barely gets a taste of the rich liquid before she brings the cup away from her mouth and sets it on the small dish occupying her other shaky hand. Taking a deep breath, she scoots to the very edge of the luxurious sofa before she replaces the tea back onto the coffee table, though she remains perched on the edge of the cushion her nerves showing cleanly through her typically composed complexion.

"Alex, honey, what's the matter?" Serena asks curiously as she takes in the state of her best friend. Placing her own tea cup on the coffee table, she stands up from her comfortable spot in a luscious armchair before she moves across the sitting room and softly joins the quiet blonde on the sofa. "Alex? Are you listening?"

"I'm fine." Alex answers robotically as she continues to sit in her rigid position. She stares straight ahead across the room and out one of the many large windows into the horizons outside. A look of longing passes over her face before she blinks a rapid number of times and shakes her head before she finally manages to turn and meet to concerned gaze of her best friend. Managing a small smile, Alex forces her self to relax before she is able to respond. "I'm fine."

Looking rather unconvinced, Serena purses her lips for a moment before shaking her head in disbelief. "You aren't fine, honey. Look at you," she begins as she takes both of the other woman's hands in her own as if to state her point. "You're shaking."

Alex looks down at her hands and notices that she is in fact shaking, but from what exactly, well, she just isn't sure. "I am, aren't I?" she questions rhetorically with a nervous laugh, trying to draw the immediate attention away from her self. "Join me on the balcony will you? I'll have Giles bring our tea out there."

Serena opens her mouth to protest, but she finds her self left alone in the sitting room as her long time friend stands up from the sofa, and briskly makes her way out of the room. Sighing heavily, she follows suit as she hastily follows Alex's path which leads her out onto the balcony where she finds her best friend clutching the railing in a tight nit grip as she stares out at the vast expanse of yard before her.

"It's so beautiful in the summer time isn't it?" Alex says wistfully as she her eyes graze over the large expanse of green grass that makes up her yard. She eloquently waves down at the various staff members who are working diligently to maintain the beautiful upkeep of the vegetation in the yard from the grass it self, to the wide variations of flowers, to the trees, and anything else that would need tending to. "They work so hard you know? Trying to make sure this place looks as beautiful as it does. I just don't understand how any of them does it you know? It must be so hard working like that all the time. I don't think that I could pull it off."

"Of course not. God knows that you've never had to lift your dainty little fingers for anything." Serena replies with a tinge of humor in her voice as she attempts to lighten the mood. She knows how Alex gets when she starts to ramble on like this, and the rambling has already given way to some underlying meaning, though, Serena just hasn't quite figured out what it is yet. "If you don't mind me asking, why show the sudden conversation regarding your workers? I'm not trying to call you shallow or anything of the like, but I've never seen you express any type of interest in the staff before; what is so different about to day."

Alex shrugs her shoulders as she finally relinquishes her white-knuckled grip on the balcony railing. "I don't know Serena. A girl can wonder every now and then, can she not?" she responds rather snappily, though her gaze does not meet her best friend, but rather it falls towards the twelve carat diamond ring sitting on her ring finger on her left hand. She flexes her fingers several times as she watches the ring glisten and reflect the harsh rays of sunlight. It's almost as if the ring sits on her finger to mock her and many of times, there is a tiny voice in the back of her mind telling her to take it off and fling it into one of the many fountains that sit around the property, but she can never bring her self to listen to that voice and do such a thing.

A tiny frown plays at Serena's features as she observes the other blonde silently examining her hand and as she looks closer, she notices that she is in fact examining her wedding ring. Tilting her head to the side, Serena opens her mouth to once again inquire over what is the matter, but after a small moment of hesitation, she closes her mouth, deeming it far too soon for such a repetitive question.

Having sensed the rather awkward silence, Alex folds her hand into a tight fist, successfully hiding the ring from her line of vision for the time being. She looks up and stares out at the yard once more before she spins on her heel and quickly stalks over to the opposite side of the balcony to stare at something else. If Serena didn't know any better, she would outright say that her best friend resembles that of a lost, curious little puppy right now.

Both women are startled by the gentle clearing of a throat behind them, and the man of average height wearing a tuxedo cowers under the glare of the shorter blonde. His white glove covered hand fidgets uncontrollably, nearly causing him to drop the tray he is carrying. He then quickly stammers his apologies before he clears his throat again and carefully approaches Alex. "Mrs. Carmichael, if you will excuse my interruption, I believe that there is someone calling for you."

Alex cringes at the use of her married name as she retrieves her cell phone from the silver tray that was offered to her. She brings the phone to her ear and frowns as she strains to hear any kind of sound coming from the other end of the call. "Hello?" she questions curiously into the receiver, starting to become a little unnerved by the silence she receives as a response.

Finally, there is a click from the other end of the call and the line goes dead. Alex frowns deeply and places her phone back onto the tray, eying the butler with genuine curiosity. "There was no one there. Who did they say was calling when you answered?"

"They didn't Ma'am."

"Well, was it a man or a woman?"

"It was indeed a woman. When I answered the call, she did not state who she was. She simply asked for you and said that it was urgent. Never did she once say why she was calling."

Alex pinches the bridge of her nose out of frustrations. Probably another phony prank call or another, she immediately deduces. "Thank you, Giles." She murmurs as she prepares to dismiss the butler, pausing when she realizes that she has another question. "Giles, would you happen to know the whereabouts of my wife at the moment?"

The butler thinks for a moment before her vigorously shakes his head in the negative. "No Ma'am, I'm afraid that I do not. I do believe that she mentioned something about going into town on a few errands but she was leaving in such haste that I did not quite catch what it was she was saying exactly. I do know that she will return before supper, if that is where your concerns lie."

"That's alright. Thank you Giles. Please don't forget to inform the cooking staff that Miss Southerlyn is accompanying us for dinner tonight."

"Of course Ma'am. Anything else Mrs-"

"That'll be all." Alex cuts him off quickly with a waft of her hand dismissing him. Once the butler is out of earshot, Alex sighs heavily and turns back towards Serena who is eyeing her with a genuine amount of curiosity. "Sometimes, I actually forget what my own name is."

Serena frowns at the statement and she can't help but tilt her head in curiosity towards its meaning. "I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean?"

Alex shakes her head as she wafts her hand towards the large, Georgian Estate that is her home. "I never hear my actual name unless you come around. The staff only addresses me as 'Ma'am' or by my married name. Never once do I hear just 'Alex' anymore."

"Well, what does Abbie call you?" Serena asks curiously.

A feint snort is heard in response as Alex shakes her head and turns away. "Whatever she wants to." she mumbles darkly, more to her self than to her best friend. Grinding her teeth together at the thought her wife, the blonde shakes her head and turns her attention back to the mysteriousness of the phone call she received not even five minutes ago.

As if reading her mind, Serena clears her throats and decides to mention the rather cryptic call that has sparked her own curiosities. "I wonder who was calling. Did you check to see who the number was? So maybe you could have called them back?"

"The number was restricted." Alex answers gravely before she sighs heavily. "I'm in no mood for jokes, and now this is going to bother me simply because who ever called didn't even identify themselves. Hell, they didn't even say anything to me at all, they just spoke to my butler asking for me. Who does that? Ask for someone on the phone and then just simply hang up when you actually have the opportunity to speak with them? Gosh Serena, this is driving me insane. You know how I am."

"Yes honey, I know how you are." Serena repeats with a chuckle as she gently places her hands on her best friend's shoulders. "Calm down? Why don't we talk about something else? Like maybe you could tell me what it is that's been bothering you all day?"

"Nothing has been bothering me." the taller woman answers unconvincingly as her voice drops down to a defeated murmur. "I'm fine."

"Alex, you aren't fine! I thought we already established this when we were inside and you kept shaking? I'm your best friend Alex, which means that I'm going to be here for you. Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"Because, we'd be here all day and all night if I did. Listen, I realize that you are only trying to help, and for that, I am truly grateful and glad that you are my best friend, but in truth, I am fine. Maybe it's just the fact that I have been cooped up in the house for I don't know how long."

"Well, would you like to drive in to town? Perhaps we could even catch up with Abbie and she could-"

"NO!" Alex cuts in aggressively before she can stop her self from doing so. She softens her harsh gaze and backs down a little before she shakes her head and speaks in a much quieter tone. "No…I don't need to see her. Not yet."

Serena quirks an eyebrow curiously at Alex's statement and for another one of the rare times in her life, she is hopelessly confused. "You're married, honey. Something tells me that you're going to have to see her eventually; especially since you live in the same house. What's going on?"

Alex stands stock still for the longest of times before she briskly turns away. "Nothing is going on." She states tersely as she clenches her jaw which in turn shows off the tightly tensed muscles in her neck. "There is nothing."

"Alex, there has to be something for you to be in this mood." Serena huffs still sounding rather unconvinced that there is in fact 'nothing'. "Are you pregnant?"

"No I'm not pregnant! That is completely absurd!"

"Well, with your mood swings, you can't exactly blame me for asking. One moment your raving about how beautiful it is outside, and the next, I mention your wife, and you get all hellcat angry. Is something going on with the two of you?"

"Clearly there's not." Alex responds involuntarily, wincing when she realizes just how much sarcasm was laced in with the tone of her response.

Serena raises both her eyebrows this time as her mouth briefly falls agape. "Well, do you wish to talk about it? I'm here if you need me."

Alex sighs and shakes her head sadly as she taps her fingers against the railing of the balcony. "I don't wish to trouble you with my personal issues."

"We're best friends, Alexandra. We've known each other for so long that your personal issues are automatically my personal issues."

"Yeah, well, not this one."

"What makes this time so different?" Serena asks animatedly as her voice raises an octave in shock.

For a moment Alex looks extremely sad, but the look quickly fades away, replaced with one of tired defeat. "Where do you think that Abbie goes when she isn't here?" she whispers sadly before she spins on her heel and makes her way back into her home, leaving her best friend to sit on the rhetorical question.

* * *

Later on that night after dinner, clad in a silk nightgown with a matching shoulder throw, Alex stands on the rear balcony porch of her home as she stares out at the large expanse of the bay that sits just beyond their dock. The wind blows gently against her skin, but that accompanied by the evident fog in the air is enough to make her shiver.

After standing stationary for a moment, Alex shivers once more, but this time, she knows very well that her chill didn't exactly come from the cold temperatures. If she didn't know any better, she would say that someone was watching her. You know, that feeling that you get when someone is well…watching you? That uneasy feeling that settles in the pit of your stomach, your skin slowly begins to crawl, your palms start to become a little clammy and even sweat starts to accumulate on your brow from the nerves? Yes, that feeling. That is the feeling Alex is getting right now.

Narrowing her eyes, she is just barely able to make out, through the fog, the brightly lit lights of the homes sitting on the piece of land across the bay. As she continues to stare through the misty fog, that feeling begins to intensify by the second. Her heart is pounding heavily in her throat by now and she is so focused on staring across the bay that she doesn't hear the footsteps approaching her from behind. Because she doesn't hear the footsteps, she doesn't anticipate the arm that slips it self around her thin waist, which in turn causes her to yelp loudly and nearly jump fifteen feet in the air.

"Jesus, sorry. I thought you heard me." Abbie says apologetically as a look of concern flashes across her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Alex murmurs as she has to force her self to relax into the embrace. "You just startled me a little. That's all."

"I can see that. What're you out here staring at so intensely that I was able to sneak up on you like that?"

"Nothing. I wasn't staring at anything. I was just lost in my own thoughts, that's all."

"Ah, the wonders of your mind never cease to amazement." Abbie sighs in an exaggerated poetic tone as she pulls the blonde closer to her. "Why don't you tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours? Hm?"

Alex hesitates for a long moment before she shakes her head. "I don't want to talk about it. Really, it's nothing important."

Abbie seems completely unconvinced, though she lets it slide with a shrug of her shoulders. "I see. Well, I think it's time you come to bed, don't you agree? Wouldn't want you to get sick from standing out here in the cold for so long."

Alex robotically nods her head as she feels her wife gently tugging on her hand to lead her back inside. She turns her head out towards the large expanse of water one last time because she still harbors that feeling of someone watching her.

* * *

Meanwhile all the way across the bay, a shadowed figure stands at the end of their dock, staring out over the water that houses as a literal and metaphorical barrier between them self and the large Georgian manor that sits right across the way.

The figure heavily resists the urge to extend their hand towards their desire, so they settle on tightly clenching their fist against the railing of the dock. Maybe it is a little creepy to be doing this so often, but as the saying goes, the heart wants what the heart wants. They just hope their desire across the bay can feel it too.

**Before we go any further, I just want you guys to know, I really am a sucker for the Alex/Abbie pairing, kind of like maybe a select few out there. But no body writes it, which makes me sad! And in my defense, this is the way that I saw this working out, but I'll assure you this A/A pair here will not be anything like the one in Story of Us. I'm not gonna overwhelm you guys with it like it did there. I promise :) I also PROMISE that this is A/C endgame like always**

**Anyhow, hope you all enjoyed the first chapter because it was mostly a little bit of character development. I look forward to hearing your feed back! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter for you. And yes, as a few of you asked, I did modernize this story. It'd be weird writing it in any other time period. Hope you all enjoy.**

"I'm a little surprised to see you here slumming it with the less fortunate folk, Cousin." Kim Greylek teases playfully as she arches a finely sculpted eyebrow.

"I wouldn't exactly call your home that of one who is 'less fortunate'." Alex replies with a tiny shrug as she glances around the averaged sized yet eloquent home. "I think your home is cute. It's…cozy?"

Serena snorts at the use of the term cozy and she shakes her head vigorously as she brings her tea cups to her lips. "All of this translates to, 'Alex has been cooped up in her mansion for so long that she has absolutely no idea of what it feels like to be in a normal person's home'." she rattles off, flinching when she receives a soft swat to her shoulder in response to her rather snarky comment. "What? I'm only stating what I know as a fact."

Alex narrows her eyes and purses her lips into such a thin line that one would think that her rosy colored lips are about to disappear right off of her face. Instead of responding once more, a soft 'humph' leaves her lips as she shifts on the sofa and sits rigidly with her hands on her knees.

"Aw, Lexie, don't be such a spoilsport. You always decided to hide your lips when someone said something that would upset you." Kim teases once more as she tries to restrict her humor towards the blush that is slowly beginning to creep down her cousin's neck. "But never the less, I hardly ever hear from you and you literally live just right across the bay over there. That's a bit…peculiar, for lack of a better term, wouldn't you agree?"

"I wouldn't think so. I just haven't really been up to leaving the house lately. I haven't exactly had reason to leave the house, so what's the point of leaving the house if you literally have no reason for leaving the house? Then I would just be leaving the house for no apparent reason at all which would in turn resulting into wasting time all because I felt like I had reason for leaving the house when I really did not have any business of doing so to begin with. So what's the point?" Alex rambles off quickly, her breathing slightly increasing as soon as the last syllable of a word leaves her lips.

"Maybe so you don't end up running yourself stir crazy." Serena mumbles quietly to her self before she smoothly brings her tea cup to her lips. "Maybe you should share with your cousin the status of your marriage."

Alex's eyes flare with fiery anger at the mention of her marriage and she literally has to resist the urge to strangle her best friend right then and there. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with my marriage and as someone who is not married, you have absolutely no right to say anything regarding my marriage, do you understand? There is nothing wrong and everything is fine." She concludes sharply, her glare not fading away from her icy features.

Kim clears her throat as she places her tea back on her coffee table. "Because now I am _totally_ and completely convinced that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your marriage." She begins with her trademark sarcasm laced in her vocabulary. "Alex, you know that you've always been a terrible liar. Well, scratch that, you're a damn good liar, but I'm a better one so that just makes it so much easier for you to see right through your ice cold façade is if it were made of plastic wrap. This will be so much easier, and a lot less painful if you would just tell Serena and me what exactly it is that has been bothering you lately. And before you say 'everything is fine' let me remind you that I do have my own methods of making you talk.

Alex narrows her eyes once more as if she is contemplating challenging the woman that is sitting across from her. Knowing that she is most likely going to lose the stare off, she stands up from the sofa and makes her way over to a window where she stares out into the yard, doing anything to keep her focus off of the question at hand; if there even was a question at all. She folds her arms tightly and bites down on her lower lip as her nerves begin to slowly get the better of her.

Just as the rather nervous blonde is about to open her mouth to respond to her cousin's and her best friend's advances, the vibrations of her cell phone draw her from her stupor. Silently thanking any kind of higher powers for the save, she quickly retrieves her phone from her purse and mutters a quiet 'excuse me', as she makes her way out of the house to take the phone call.

"Hello." She questions, probably a little more snappily than she should have. She mentally sighs when she hears her wife's voice answer her through the receiver. "What do you want, Abbie."

"Okay, have I done something? Because you have been really snarky with me lately and I honestly don't know what it is that I've done to deserve to be treated like this. The least you could do is tell me what I've done, instead of being so damn passive aggressive." The brunette replies flatly, though there is a portraying harshness in her tone.

This time, Alex sighs audibly as she reaches up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry. I just…you haven't been home." she mutters into the phone. "I'm by myself in that big house literally every day of the week and you are never home."

Abbie's sigh at the statement mirrors the one that had escaped the blonde's lips not even two minutes prior. "Why is this all of a sudden bothering you now? I thought you liked where we live and you aren't home by your self all the time. You have all the butlers and maids and cooks and everything else to keep you company. Plus you have the ability to invite Serena over when ever you feel like it so it isn't as if you are by yourself all the time Alex."

"Well I feel like it seeing as my wife is never home."

"Why do you literally turn every conversation we have in to an argument?"

"Well maybe if you were honest with me, we wouldn't have anything to argue about!"

The silence on the other end of the line is rather deafening because Abbie's voice drops to a low, gravely, agitated tone. "You think that I'm not being honest with you? Is that what this is about?"

"Where were you the day that we had Serena over for dinner?" Alex asks spontaneously, quickly regretting the words as soon as they leave her lips.

"I told you that I went into town on business. Why does this matter to you all of a sudden? Don't you trust me?"

Alex pauses at the statement and she folds an arm tightly across her chest as she continues to hold her phone to her ear. In the time that she has been outside, she has begun involuntarily pacing around the yard; a habit that she has had for as long as she can remember. She frowns when she gets that eerie feeling of someone watching her once again.

Spinning on her heel, she finds her self drawn to look at the rather palace-like home that is next door to her cousin. As she glances up through the trees, she could swear that she saw the movement of curtains in one of the large windows, but she wouldn't bet on it. Shaking her head away from the curious feeling, she turns her attention back to the pending argument that she's having with her wife.

Meanwhile, Serena stares out of the window watching her best friend have what looks to be a very animated conversation with who ever it is that is on the other end of the phone line. "Gee, I wonder who she's talking to." she wonders aloud as she watches Alex pace back and forth, throwing her head back in what appears to be frustration.

"I'm pretty sure if we both put our heads together, we could figure out who it is that she's talking to." Kim mumbles as she sets about cleaning random little places in her living room.

Serena hums quietly to her self, but her curious frown returns and she tilts her head to the side when she notices that her best friend outside seems to be continuously looking over her shoulder at what looks to be the house next door. Letting her curiosities get the best of her once more, Serena stands up from her place on the sofa and moves over to another window where she can get a full view at the house next door.

"Damn," the curious blonde whispers in complete and total awe. "Hey, Kim, do you know who lives there?"

Kim looks up from what she was previously doing before she moves to next to her friend who is standing at the window. "Oh, you mean there," she repeats lowly with a small nod as she watches Serena continue to eye her neighbor's home. "Quiet as kept, I can't actually tell you who lives there. All I know is it's someone named Novak who has money and throws kick ass parties; from what I hear."

"Let me get this straight; you've lived here for how long and you have never once seen your next door neighbor?" Serena asks in disbelief as she arches an eyebrow.

"Nope." Kim responds with a shrug before she moves over towards the mantle above the fireplace and retrieves what looks to be a hard printing on even expensive feeling paper. "Here. I honestly can't even tell you if it's a man or a woman that lives next door to me. All I know is that I'm sitting here reading a book one day, then there's a knock at my front door and some weirdo in a suit is handing me this."

Serena takes the card and as she reads it, she slowly comes to the realization that it's most definitely a party invitation. She gently runs her fingers over the metallic printing on the card before her eyes drop down to the very bottom where she sees 'C. Novak' printed in silver metallic lettering. "Oh great, not even a full name?"

"Right? That's what I said! I mean, that could literally stand for anything!"

"Yeah! Like…Claude, or Chris, Carter, Cooper, Charlie, Chad, Chester, Conner, Chance, Chandler, Charleston, Clarence, Chase, C-"

"Serena, sweetie, you can stop now, I think I kind of get the idea." Kim deadpans, immediately shutting the other woman up. "Anyway, I find it certainly strange that I received some sort of invite to one of those parties, which just happens to be tonight."

"Oh! Cool! Can I be your plus one?" Serena asks animatedly.

Kim shrugs her shoulders and puts the invitation down on the coffee table just as her cousin reenters the living room with reddened eyes as if she has been crying for a short period of time. "Alex? What's wrong? What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." the tall blonde mumbles as she drops her phone into her purse before she begins throwing her things together haphazardly.

The other two women exchange looks briefly before Serena clears her throat and plasters a smile across her face in an attempt to lighten the mood. "So, Kim's neighbor is having a party tonight. I'm gonna go. Maybe you should tag along? It'll give you a chance to unwind? Maybe even release some of that bottled up tension?"

Alex vigorously shakes her head as she slips her purse onto her shoulder and manages the world's tiniest smile; a smile that looks rather fake. "Thanks, but no thanks. I really do have to be getting home now. I suppose I'll catch up with you two later, yes?" she says quickly before she departs, leaving no other room for discussion.

"Bye then." Kim calls sarcastically after her cousin before she shakes her head and sighs. "That is one unhappy woman."

"That is also my ride out of here…so what time does this party start?"

* * *

**Later That Evening **

"Do you feel out of place here?" Kim asks rather curiously as she and Serena find themselves being carried by the flow of the crowd.

"Just a tad." Serena replies incredulously as her eyes widen upon entering the party. "Holy shit, this place is like a castle. Like, legitimately a castle. If I didn't know any better, I would say that someone of royalty lives here."

"That's because they do!" A woman wearing a red dress that is far too short and far too tight for her figure blurts in as she stumbles into the two women. "I heard that this place is owned by a fabulous, dashing British monarch."

"I heard it was one of the Kennedy's." A man with a rather nasally voice chimes in.

"I heard it was someone who slept with a multi-billionaire!" Another voice adds in, drawing into the gossip about the estate's potential resident.

Kim rolls her eyes at the rather ridiculous and unbelievable speculations. "Right, and have any of you ever even seen the owner?" she questions, nodding her head when she receives silence and blank stares as her response. "That's what I thought; c'mon Serena…"

Serena blinks several times as they push their way through the crowd of gyrating bodies towards a seemingly comfortable space for the time being. "All of that sounded pretty ridiculous. Especially since no one has actually seen the owner." She states with a shake of her head as she casually picks up a martini from the tray of a passing waiter. "There are so many people here already and many more are still piling in. I just have to wonder how big this place really is."

"Which makes me wonder, since there is no way that THIS many invitations have been sent out to all of these people; I just wonder why I got an actual invitation."

"That is a bit peculiar now that you think about it. I don't know, maybe because you're a next door neighbor? Maybe they're just trying to show good hospitality and…neighbor-like…skills?"

"Yeah, maybe." Kim mumbles before she takes a sip from her own glass. "C'mon, I wanna explore a little. Maybe even try to figure out who this mysterious Novak really is."

Serena shrugs her shoulders as she moves to follow her friend through the sea of people once more. She has never really been a woman who likes being touched by anyone in particular, let alone strangers, and she soon finds that it's a phobia she's going to have to dispose of if she plans to survive in New York.

As the two of them reach the top of the stairs where they are met with yet more people, Serena spontaneously feels someone run into her which in turn knocks the glass from her hand. "Hey, will you watch where you're going?!" she exclaims, wiping the remains of the beverage from her sleeve.

The crimson haired woman spins around with a highly apologetic look on her face. "Oh my god, I am so sorry." she apologizes quickly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Serena murmurs, not exactly keen on having her own drink spilled on her by some random stranger. Now she's probably going to smell like high end liquor for hours.

The woman smiles widely, showing of her perfectly whitened teeth. If Serena didn't know any better, she would actually feel a little blinded by such a smile along with the fierce piercing green eyes staring into her. There is no doubt that this woman is extremely attractive, from the top of her shiny crimson colored hair, all the way down to her Prada clad feet. Unfortunately, Serena is so transfixed by the stranger; she is called on it before she can catch her self.

"Are you staring at me?" the stranger inquires with that same dazzling smile and a slight tilt of her head.

"U-um, no," Serena stammers as she blinks rapidly and attempts to recover her self and regain her eloquent composure. "I was just curious over whether or not you knew the host and owner of this, uh, fine…establishment?"

The woman chuckles lowly before she shrugs her shoulders and puts her hands in her pockets. "Ah, I see. It's a question that filters in and out of these parties, isn't it? Monarch, Kennedy, slept with someone of great importance to gain fame, fashion, and fortune. I've heard it all. It's rather quite amusing really."

"I thought it was completely ridiculous. Though it would be nice to meet the owner. That way I wouldn't feel like such a trespasser in a complete stranger's home." Serena states as she looks around at the vast amounts of people once more.

"I see. Well then, allow me to introduce myself," the woman begins before she clears her throat and extends her hand with that same damn smile as before. "I'm Casey Novak."

It takes Serena's brain a little longer than necessary to catch up with the precise meaning of the phrase. As she shakes the redhead's hand, her eyes begin to widen gradually as the handshake slowly dies down. "Oh my god, you're C. Novak…" she murmurs as her eyes continue to widen. "But-but-but you're a woman!"

Casey frowns a little and chuckles nervously as she slightly tilts her head once more. "Would this be a lot easier for you if I was indeed a man?"

Serena winces as she immediately feels like she has just shoved her entire foot into her mouth. "N-no! Of course not! I mean, I had just assumed that…well, that's what I get for assuming. You know what they say, it makes a 'you know what' out of 'U' and 'Me'." she rambles before she pauses to take a deep breath. "I am so sorry Miss Novak, I literally had no idea that it was you and I shouldn't have lashed out like that, god, I am so terribly sorry."

"No, it's fine. Believe me. Plus, it was my fault that I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Serena, where did you disappear off to?" Kim questions curiously as she finds her friend standing back by the stairs where they had been separated.

Serena turns around towards her friend and holds up her sleeve. "Sorry. I spilled, but drink, but I ran into…" she trails off as she spins around and finds the space formerly occupied by the gorgeous redhead now empty.

Kim raises her eyebrows as she continues to look to Serena for an answer. "You ran into…" she probes again as she expects Serena to continue on.

Sighing heavily, Serena shakes her head and tugs on Kim's arm, leading them through the crowd for probably the hundredth time that evening. "Never mind." She mumbles, deeming it completely useless to try to explain what just happened.

As they reach a rather quiet spot away from the party, the two engage in light conversation for all of five minutes before they are approached by one of the many men dressed in tuxedos for the night. The man clears her throat gently as to draw the attention of the two women.

"If you ladies will pardon me, Miss Southerlyn, Miss Novak would like to speak to you personally in the library." He begins before drops his voice and continues on. "Alone."

Serena's eyes widen as she follows the man's gaze up the stairs towards the shadowed, familiar silhouette leaning against the frame of what appears to be the library. Swallowing thickly, she turns towards Kim who simply shrugs her shoulders. She waits for a moment before turning back to the butler and nodding. "Alright then." She states before she follows the man up another flight of stairs.

"_How does she know my name? And what could she possibly want from me?" _

**Ahhh, I hope that answered someone's question on the last chapter. But what could Casey possibly want, hm? And what is Abbie's issue, hm? Lol, leave your feedback? **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Two week vacation for the Christmas holidays so I intend to do a lot of updating of several different things in that time span, but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I know I did. **

Serena slowly and slightly nervously enters the library as her eyes immediately begin to glance around the room in amazement. The room is three stories high and every single wall is lined with books, complete with a fireplace, three lush leather couches, and a glass coffee table sitting in between them. The door closes behind her, and she jumps slightly when she hears the noise, only to blush a few moments later when chuckling is heard at her expense from somewhere in the room.

"Please, Serena, try not to look so nervous. It's in turn making me a little nervous as well." Casey says humorously from where she stands looking down at the blonde from the second floor of her library. She quirks an eyebrow and tilts her head, still thoroughly amused by the other woman's fascination in book filled room. "You look a little overwhelmed by everything."

"Just a little," Serena responds quietly with a nod as she begins examining one of the many bookshelves in the room. "There are so many books in here. Do they all belong to you?"

"That they do. Some of them were my mothers though. But they are all mine, yes."

"That is amazing, but surely you haven't read all of them?"

Casey laughs once again at the statement before she shakes her head in the negative. "Of course not. It would probably take me an entire lifetime to read every single book that is in here. Some of them I probably don't have an interest in. Especially the nonfiction and informative like. Not really my cup of tea."

Serena nods as she continues to gaze round the room, pausing when something strikes in her mind. "How do you know my name?" she asks curiously, looking up to where the redhead was perched, but frowning when she realizes there is no one there. "I really wish she would stop doing that…"

"Doing what?" Casey asks innocently, grinning and unable to hide her laugh when she causes the blonde to yelp.

"That." Serena emphasizes, pointing to the woman who has now spontaneously appeared behind her. "I wish you would stop doing that. Now, back to my previous question; how do you know my name exactly? I find it to be very curious that out of every stranger here at your party, you just so happen to know my name when I am fairly sure that we have never met before."

Casey quirks an eyebrow once again, in one of her trademark expressions. She watches as Serena mirrors her look and she laughs again as she moves to pace random areas of the sitting area. "You are absolutely positive that you and I have never met before Miss Southerlyn?"

"There you go with that again. Yes, Miss Novak, as I stated before, I am fairly certain that we haven't met."

"Yes, I see. Well, that is the reason that I brought you in here to speak with you, seeing as I knew that you wouldn't remember me first off."

Serena narrows her eyes in confusion as she tries to understand what it is that the redhead is playing at. "I remember you as the woman who knocked into me when we were out there at the party, if that's what you're asking."

Casey grins and shakes her head as she pretends to absentmindedly toy with a trinket on the mantle above her fireplace. "No, no, that's not what I was referring to. As I said before, I knew that you wouldn't remember me, seeing as it was probably eight or so years ago, and even then, it's not as if I was an eye turner for you or anything. Quite frankly, I don't think that you liked me all that much."

"Eight years ago?" Serena repeats as her mind begins racking it self over thinks that could have possibly happened eight years ago. Just as she is about to open her mouth and state her surrender, her eyes widen to the size of baseballs, leaving her mouth hanging open as it finally clicks in her head. "Summer of 2005…oh my god." She whispers as she has to wet her lips to continue forming any kind of articulate sentence. "You were…war, right?"

"It was a…strange thing for a woman to do I admit, but my father was in the military and I guess I just…" Casey trails off with a shrug.

"But that was eight years ago…" Serena whispers, before her gaze hardens and her eyes blaze with anger like the fire in the fire place. "That was eight years ago!" she screeches as she swats the redhead on the shoulder repeatedly.

Casey sighs and shakes her head as she grabs both of Serena's wrists and holds her at arms length. "There's the reaction I was waiting for." She mumbles quietly. "I know that me telling you that I'm sorry right now probably wouldn't be enough."

"You're damn right it wouldn't be enough!" Serena hisses through clinched teeth as she snatches away. "As a lady of my word, I promised that if I ever saw you again, I would slap you so hard that it would leave an indention in your teeth, but I am also a lady of eloquence and I will not resort to such a violent act. What the hell do you want from me? Because I sure as hell shouldn't give you the satisfaction of giving you anything you ask for. Eight years, for god's sake!"

"I know! I know! And they have been the longest eight years of my life. They have been the longest AND the hardest eight years that I have ever had to live.

"Why didn't you come back?"

"I wanted to, honest I did, but I couldn't…I couldn't bring my self to come back after that when I had nothing to offer."

Serena is silent as she purses her lips into a tight, thin line. "She waited for you." she finally says as she breaks their gaze and begins a pacing of her own. "Or at least, she waited as long as she could. You do realize that she is married now."

Casey opens and closes her mouth several times before she simply settles on gravely nodding her head. "Yes, I'm aware." She murmurs quietly. "Just because I didn't come back, doesn't mean that I didn't love her. I've never stopped loving her."

"But you hid from her for eight whole years. Yes, it truly sounds like you love her deeply."

"Don't tell me that I don't love her! I've always loved her, from the very first time that I laid eyes on her, to this very moment right now. I haven't stopped and it hasn't gone away. So don't you stand there and accuse me of not loving her."

Serena closes her mouth and shakes her head before she crosses her arms tightly. "What is it that you want?" she asks reluctantly, feeling like her patience is sitting on the edge of a very, very thin wire.

Casey takes a shuddering deep breath before she shoves her hands into her pockets and angles her gaze towards the ground. "My neighbor, who brought you to the party, that is her cousin, no?"

"Oh god, you are such a stalker." Serena mumbles with a roll of her eyes before she nods. "Yes, Kim is indeed her cousin, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I want…I want for Kim to invite her over for lunch. I need…I need to see her again."

"You're serious aren't you? You must be out of your mind if you think that I am going to lead my MARRIED best friend, into the arms of another woman."

"I'm dead serious. Please, Serena, I…I really need to see her again."

Sighing heavily, Serena rakes her fingers through her hair before she crosses her arms tightly over her chest. "I don't know. I will have to see what Kim says because it is all up to her whether this is happening or not. If it were left up to me, I would never even let you near her ever again after what you did, but this is not in my hands."

Casey nods her head solemnly at the statement realizing she's getting the verbal beating she deserves. "That's all I ask." She responds quietly.

Serena huffs quietly under her breath as she turns her attention back to the spines of the many books on the shelves. "This is all for her isn't it?" she says quietly before she turns to the still redhead.

"She…she likes books…"

"And everything else? You know, isn't it ironic that she literally lives just right across the bay? Everything is for her, isn't it?"

Casey swallows thickly before she turns away to stare into the yellow-orange flames of the fire in the fireplace. "Thank you for hearing me out." she states firmly. "Please don't forget to relay my message to Miss Greylek."

Serena simply nods before she spins on her heel and exits the library. An agitated sigh leaves her lips as she descends the flight of stairs, running into her friend once more who fixes her with a confused look. "How long was I gone?"

"A while," Kim responds as she glances at the time on her wristwatch. "What was that about? You're not having some sort of secret affair that you've neglected to tell me, about, are you?"

"No, of course not." Serena replies sternly, suddenly seeming repulsed by the idea. "Listen, would you invite Alex over for lunch tomorrow? We could all have lunch and it would…it'll be nice."

Kim curiously quirks an eyebrow at the statement, wondering just what lie in the underlying meaning of the request. "Yeah, sure, I suppose that I can. Is there a special occasion that we are celebrating or something?"

Serena frowns briefly before she quickly shakes her head. "No, there's no special occasion. Just lunch, maybe at around twelve thirty? And tell her to make sure that she comes alone. Oh, also, we may be having a, um, a guest so…"

"Whoa, hold on. Just how many people do YOU plan on inviting to my house?"

"It'll just be four of us." _'I just hope that isn't four too many.'_

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

"This is the fourth time this week where I've had dinner by myself." Alex says aloud, though, who she is talking to, she isn't exactly sure. "She says that she'll be home, but then she calls saying that she isn't going to make it and she'll be home lately than she had first anticipated."

"She must be very busy." One of the housekeepers, Melody, says quietly as she sets about cleaning up the dinner table.

Alex snorts humorlessly as her eyes once again drop to her dreaded wedding ring. "Busy…" she repeats darkly before she shakes her head. "I doubt busy is the word. No, I take it back. Busy is the correct word."

Melody blinks in confusion several times before she takes a deep breath and asks a question that she had been meaning to ask since earlier that afternoon. "If you don't mind me asking Ma'am; is everything alright at the moment? A bunch of us heard the two of you arguing after she returned home earlier this afternoon. I was worried, but I couldn't bring my self to enter the room."

"Oh gosh, you heard all of that?" Alex repeats before she groans and squeezes her eyes shut. "I would say that everything is alright, but I know that I would be lying and for once I would like to tell the truth. Our fight was over trust. She was upset with me because she felt like that I'm not very trusting of her, but who could blame me? You see Mel, Abbie is sleeping with someone else. She doesn't think that I know, but I know. I know where she is when she leaves like this and doesn't return until later. I know who is on the phone whenever she receives those cryptic phone calls in the middle of the night when she thinks that I'm asleep. She thinks that I'm oblivious to it, but I know. I know about her mistress that she has been hiding from me for god knows how long. But I guess I just pretend not to know. Why do I do that you ask? Well, that's a damn good question that I find my self asking more often than not. I suppose that my most favored answer is it's because she is my wife, and I love her. I've said that so many times that it has become the only answer I can give. Now, as for the identity of said mistress? That, I do not know and frankly, I'm not sure if I want to know, because if I do find out, then that would make all of this real. But if I continue to ignore it, then it's not real anymore I suppose none of that even matters anymore, does it? I'm going to bed Melody. Please take a message for any phone calls that may come through after I reside."

"Yes, of course, Mrs. Carmichael." The housekeeper replies before she returns to cleaning up the remains of dinner.

Alex sighs and closes her eyes as her muscles tense briefly but then relax. Shaking her head, she makes her way upstairs towards her bedroom, her subconscious wondering just how long she is going to be able to continue to lie to her self.

**Alex does seem a little miserable doesn't she? Hm, well, I know you guys are looking forward to the next chapter, because I know I am. :3 leave your thoughts! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Guys, please be patient with me, I did say that I have two weeks off, but you have to realize, these two and a half days before Christmas are always really hectic. Please. One update tonight so I'm just letting that be known now before you all go asking in the reviews. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy. **

"Now explain to me, once again, why we are doing this exactly? Quite frankly, I don't think that you ever fully explained to me what's going on. All I'm aware of is that we go to an expensive party and then the next thing I know is you're here telling me to invite my cousin over for lunch. You don't say why, you just say 'oh, hey, we are all having lunch at your house and you're inviting Alex, but I'm going to give you know actual information over what is going on.' I swear Serena, sometimes you need to be glad that I like you because sometimes you just…ugh! I mean seriously. You have me cooking. Do I look like I cook on a normal basis?!" Kim exclaims rather loudly as she places the now prepped and seasoned chicken in the oven. "You owe me so big, starting with an explanation."

Serena bites down on her lip nervously before she turns her gaze on something else. "I want to explain what's going on, because believe me, I feel like you have a right to know, I guess, but at the same time, I feel like it really isn't my business to share."

Kim's eyes narrow into frightening, thin little slits as her lips form into a small 'o' shape. "So let me get this straight just to make sure that I am on board with what you just told me here; you want to tell me, but at the same time, you don't want to tell me? What the fuck Serena, how does that even make any sense?!"

"It does, okay! It does, I just…I feel bad. Terrible even, but you know me and I'm not exactly very good at saying 'no' to things. Please just hear me out and be on your best behavior today?"

"Best behavior?! This is my house! If I want to tear up my house, I am going to tear it up because it is my house! If I feel like misbehaving, I can and do you know why? Because it is MY house!"

"Kim, please. Just try to be yourself? No, scratch that, try to be anyone BUT you're self."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" the taller woman questions before she relaxes and nods her head. "Oh, okay, I get what you're saying. You know what? Fine, whatever, I'll be quiet and polite, and everything just to wait and see what the hell is going on here, but as soon as I see something that I don't like…!"

"I know, I know…" Serena says quietly before she sighs and relaxes her shoulders. Both women move around the kitchen and set about prepping the salad for their luncheon when they both are immediately startled by the ringing of the doorbell followed by a quick knocking on the front door. They stand there and stare at each other for a moment before Kim motions her hand towards the door, signaling to the defeated blonde that she has the honors of answering it.

Shaking her head, Serena dries her hands before she makes her way to the front door, glancing at the time and wondering who it is at the door at such a time. She swings the door open in preparation to great whoever it is, but she stops dead in her tracks when she sees a very nervous looking redhead wearing designer clothing standing rigidly on the front porch. "Casey? What are you doing here an hour and a half early? I told you that lunch wasn't until noon and it's just now getting to be ten thirty."

Casey swallows the obviously lump in her throat before quickly drags a hand through her hair before glancing at her watch. "I-I, uh, I thought that the weather, looked up, bad so I-I thought I would…head over just incase…there was traffic or…or something."

Blinking several times, Serena steps out onto the porch deck and stares up at the sky, frowning when she sees nothing but sunlight and not a cloud anywhere in sight. "Casey, there are two problems wrong with your theory. One; there is legitimately nothing but sunlight out here. Two; you literally live right next door. How would there be any sort of traffic."

"Traffic? Oh, right, I, ah, I said traffic didn't I? Well, I mean, you never know. Someone could come along and build a highway or something right in the center of this yard here, and no one would ever know until they stepped out of their house and then they are hit with the surprise of a brand new highway. I-It's possible, right? Well, ah, c-can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Serena murmurs as she steps to the side, allowing for the rather tense woman to walk past her. She blinks several times once again before she shakes her head taking note in just how much of a contrast there is between the woman she met last night and the woman that is in her presence right at this very moment. It is a little mind boggling to say the least. "Would you like for me to take your coat?"

Casey stands completely still with a blank stare on her face for probably a good four minutes before the question finally reaches the control center of her brain. "Oh, right, my coat, um, yeah, sure." She rambles as she shrugs the item off and hands it over. Once again out of nervous habit, she drags her fingers through her crimson locks before taking a shuddering deep breath.

"Serena, who was at the door-whoa, well, um, hi." Kim chimes in as she steps out of the kitchen and immediately notices the stranger standing in the middle of her living room. She doesn't exactly do well with new people, but earlier she did kind of indirectly promise that she would be on her best behavior; or at least, she would try to be. "I don't believe we've met."

"We haven't, exactly." Casey begins before she lags on shaking the other woman's hand a little. "I'm Casey Novak, I live right next door."

"Oh, I see. Well, it's nice to finally be able to put a name to a face I suppose. You're a little early, don't you agree?"

"Yes, well, better early than late, right?"

Kim chuckles quietly before she nods in agreement. "Yes, that is true. Hey, Serena, would you join me in the kitchen for a moment? I need help chopping the rest of the tomatoes." She says before she quickly drags the blonde back towards the kitchen. "Okay, answer me this, why do I feel like I have seen that woman before?"

"It'll all come back to you…as I said before, it isn't my business to tell." Serena says with a quiet sigh as she glances at the time. "I feel like this is going to be the world's longest hour and a half."

And that it is; especially for Casey. The redhead finds her self sitting down and standing up repeatedly as well as pacing excessively, leaning against the wall, mantle, sitting on the edge of the couch arm, and the number one thing, repeatedly glancing at her watch for the time. She bites down on her bottom lip before she releases a shaky sigh, nearly jumping out of her skin when she sees Serena reenter the living room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." the shorter woman states apologetically. "You look rather…pale, are you alright?"

"Fine, fine, I'm fine." Casey stammers as she glances at her watch for probably the billionth time. "Listen, I don't think that anyone is gonna show, so maybe I'll just go back home."

"What are you talking about? It literally just turned noon. Keep in mind you got here more than an hour early."

"No, no, really. I really should just go."

"Casey, no, seriously. You're being childish. It is just now twelve o clock, plus, Kim isn't even done cooking yet."

"No! This was a terrible idea, and I'm just going home."

"No you're not."

"I am!"

"You're not!"

"Guys, Alex is here!" Kim's voice calls out and rings through the house from the kitchen.

A smile spreads across Serena's face and she turns around to head towards the front door, not missing the fact that Casey just paled about ten more shades than she already was. Her smile widens when she steps out onto the porch and sees her best friend getting out of her car. "Alex!"

Alex is slightly startled by the screeching of her name and she soon finds her self wrapped into a tight hug by her rather bubbly best friend. "Rena, honey, we saw each other yesterday."

"I know, I know, but as your best friend, that doesn't mean I can't get excited to see you, does it?" Serena teases as she tugs on the taller woman's sleeve. "Come on, I'm sure Kim is anxious to see you too."

"Okay…" Alex mumbles quietly as she wraps her coat tighter around her body and follows her best friend into the house. "Why am I getting the incentive that you are in fact hiding something from me?"

Serena pretends to think for a moment before she shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't know what you're talking about." She says dismissively as she leads the two of them into the living room. She stops dead in her tracks when she finds the room vacant and a frown immediately creases her forehead. "What the…"

Alex frowns as well and turns towards Serena who seems to be at a loss for words. "What's wrong?" she questions curiously, her curiosities spiking when she sees the other woman begin moving around the room as if she is looking for something. "Did you lose something?"

"Kinda…" Serena mumbles as she continues to look around the living room, pausing when she hears a knocking on the front door a moment later. "Would you excuse me a moment." She mumbles once more as she storms out of the living room and back to the front door, where she swings open the door and is once again met with the same pale, nervous, tense and rigid looking redhead. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Casey doesn't respond as she steps into the house once again, keeping her same rigid and tense posture. She opens her mouth to provide some sort of explanation before she snaps it shut and shakes her head.

"Well? Are you gonna tell me what's wrong with you? Alex is literally in there by her self and here you are acting like a scared little kid! Seriously?"

"Shhh, just…shhh, I'm going." Casey manages weakly before she spins around, takes a deep breath and begins heading towards the living room. As soon as she steps foot back into the living room, her heart falls to the depths of her stomach before it begins beating rapidly, then slowly, then rapidly again. Her throat goes dry as her eyes land on the blonde who is examining some of the pictures above the fireplace and Casey allows her self to take in the woman's natural beauty one blink at a time.

Alex catches that feeling of being watched once again and she turns way from the mantle, only to be met with a pair of familiar emerald green eyes that she hasn't seen in quite some time now. Her mouth falls ajar for a brief moment before her voice comes out in a harsh whisper. "Oh-oh my god…" she whispers as her eyes widen and her heart stops for a brief moment. She actually feels a little feint and she has to clutch onto the mantle to keep from tipping over.

The two women stand stock still for the longest of times and just stare into each other's eyes, as if their eyes alone are speaking about a thousand and one words all on their own. It's almost as if no words need to be spoken at all because their eyes seem to be doing it all for them.

"Alex…" Casey whispers as she takes a seat on the sofa still feeling like all of this is just another one of her surreal dreams that she is going to wake up from any moment now. Her breath hitches briefly when the blonde joins her on the sofa and she immediately falls prey to the familiar scent of Alex's perfume. "It's been awhile…"

"It has…it's been eight years." Alex begins as she swallows the lump in her throat before she looks away. "Eight long years…how…how have you been?"

Casey smiles at the statement and she drapes her arm over the back of the sofa before she involuntarily moves closer. "I-I've been well…great actually. You?" she asks, immediately regretting her question as she catches sight of the expensive wedding ring sitting on the blonde's finger when she reached up to place a stray lock of golden hair behind her ear. "I see you're married…"

Alex quickly drops her hand as her gaze falls on the ring once again. "Oh…yes…I'm married." she murmurs quietly. "I tried to get my wife to join us for lunch, but my wife is always so busy and she-"

"No, no, that's quite alright. I'm sure that we can…we can meet some other time." Casey cuts in quickly before she takes another deep breath, unable to stop her heart from continuing to swell. In all honesty, it takes every thing in her for the words 'I love you and I've never stopped' not to leave her lips, but she knows that it is much too soon for that. "You look amazing. I love how you let your hair grow out since the last time that I saw you it was just above your shoulders."

"Thanks." Alex whispers bashfully as she involuntarily runs her fingers through her hair that now falls well past her shoulders. "Abbie…she likes it long like this."

"Abbie?"

"M-my wife…"

Casey quietly sucks in a great amount of air as she wipes her hands on her pants. "Right…your wife…" she repeats quietly to her self before she shakes her head and her smile returns. "So…do you want to tell me what's been going on with you? How life has been?"

Meanwhile, Serena and Kim keep repetitively poking their heads in and out of the living room to see how things are going and they notice just how lost in each other the two women see. As much as they feel like they should speak up and say something, neither of them can bring her self to do so.

"Look at that. Gosh, this really was a bad idea, wasn't it? I mean, Alex is married for heaven's sake!" Serena exclaims quietly as she begins pacing the length of the kitchen. "Oh gosh, I hope this doesn't backfire."

"What I can't understand is why she didn't come back after the war." Kim mumbles shaking her head after she has had everything explained and cleared up for her. "You know? I mean, if you love somebody so much that you would do anything for them, why didn't you come back for them?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out." Serena replies with a headshake of her own before she pokes her head back into the living room, seeing just how close the two women are now sitting. "Lunch is ready!"

Alex pauses mid sentence as she hears her best friend's voice calling for lunch to be ready. "I guess that's our queue to head into the dinning room." she says quietly as a blush appears on her cheeks when she realizes just how deeply Casey is staring at her.

Casey breaks her gaze and clears her throat as if to bring her self back to reality. "You're right…" she responds as she stands up from the couch and offers Alex her hand. "Maybe when we've finished lunch, I could show you around my house? It's just right next door."

Alex hesitates for a moment before she takes the hand that is being offered to her. It's almost as if a jolt of electricity flows through her body at the skin on skin contact as she finds her self blushing even more. "I'd like that yes." She responds quietly as she allows her self to be lead into the dinning area. All she can do is hope and pray that her wife doesn't call any time soon.

**Hmmm….leave your thoughts? **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Merry belated Christmas! I honestly did try to post yesterday, but family and Christmas was far too busy for me this year. I spent most of the day getting creamed on Just Dance 4 by a ten year old. Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :3**

"Oh my…your home…it's…it's amazing." Alex whispers in complete awe as she stares up towards the high ceiling, her eyes landing on the crystal chandelier hanging proudly from the ceiling above the foyer. "I can't believe that you live here all by your self. Surely it must get lonely for you?"

"You have no idea." Casey whispers quietly to her self before she clears her throat and smiles. "No, not really. I suppose I just try not to think that I am by myself half the time so the feeling kind of goes away. Plus, with the parties and everything, it really isn't like I'm all that alone anyhow. Anyway, shall we begin our tour."

Alex nods her head as she allows for Casey to take her hand and begin showing her around the property. She beans at every little thing from the expensive paintings hanging on the walls, to the various rooms, right down to the eloquent and expensive looking wall paper and colors on the walls. Her heart flutters as she revels in the warmth of the redhead's hand, but she immediately releases the hold as if she had been burned.

Casey stops talking and turns towards the blonde upon feeling the rather immediate movement. "Is everything alright?" she asks curiously with a hint of worry etched across her face.

"Yes, yes, everything's fine." Alex mumbles quickly as she manages a nervous smile. "Please, continue."

"Right, well, this room right here is one of my favorite." Casey begins as they step into yet another large and spacious room.

Alex's eyes widen for probably the hundredth time that day as they step into a room that is filled with various types of artwork from expensive paintings to sculptures made from any and every kind of material. "My goodness Casey, all of this is beautiful. I can't believe that you actually own all of this."

"I had a lot of it imported here. Like this one here," Casey explains as she motions towards a water color piece. "I really do like this one. Some people don't enjoy it because of its simplicities, but I think that's what makes it the most beautiful."

"Water lilies, by Monet." Alex whispers to her self as she identifies the eloquent piece of artwork. "It truly is a magnificent work of art."

"That it is…" Casey agrees quietly before she ushers them out of the room. "C'mon, I want to show you the library next."

A tiny smile forms at Alex's lips, but just as soon as it's there, it's gone. A conflicting feeling has settled into the very depths of her stomach and she just can't figure out what that feeling is for the life of her.

She is brought out of her thoughts when she finds her self being led into another room. Her heart practically drops to her shoes when she enters the library and she sees that is a full three stories high and nearly every last one of the walls are lined with books. Every type of book that she can ever imagine is right here in front of her in this single room.

"D-do you like it?" Casey whispers hopefully as she has taken notice to the blonde's sudden change in demeanor.

"I love it." Alex responds with awe in her voice as she runs her fingers over the spines of the many books on a bookshelf. "I have never seen so many books all in one place like this. Do you really own all of these? No, that's a silly question, of course you own all of these; it's your house. I just…I just can't believe there are so many books!"

"Here, come here, sit with me." Casey beckons as she leads Alex over towards one of the sofas in front of the fireplace. "I can have someone bring us some tea of you want."

Alex thinks for a moment before she shakes her head and continues to gaze about the library. "No, no thank you, that's fine." She says before she finally allows for her eyes to land on the woman who is gazing at her lovingly. A small blush appears at her cheeks once again before she quickly looks away, absentmindedly toying with her wedding ring.

Casey bites down on her bottom lip nervously, not missing the motion before she clears her throat and picks up a book that was sitting on the end table beside the couch. "Um, I have this books." She speaks up offering the book to the woman of her dreams. "Do you remember this book Alex?"

"How could I forget it, it's my favorite book." Alex says with a small chuckle as she takes the book in her hands.

"But do you remember?" Casey repeats quietly as she scoots closer and begins tracing the books cover with her finger. "Do you remember how we used to sit underneath the tree in your backyard? We would sit under the tree, and you would lay your head in my lap and I would read this book to you because you loved it so much? Then sometimes, you would even fall asleep every now and then?"

**Flashback **

"C'mon Case, please? You know it's my favorite." Alex pleads with a small, innocent pout at her lips. "Pretty please?"

Casey pretends to think for a moment as she taps her fingers against her chin. "What's in it for me?" she challenges as she just adores the cute little pout that has formed on the blonde's face.

Alex grins widely before she moves in closer, purposely invading the redhead's space. "I'll give you a kiss…" she offers in a sing-song voice as she continues to slowly move in closer.

"Hm…well, I dunno." Casey responds skeptically before she shakes her head.

"Oh please Casey? Please, oh please, oh please! It's my favorite and you know that I love it when you read it!"

"Well, I guess since you DID say that you would give me a kiss." Casey continues on with an amused smirk tugging at her lips.

Alex squeals in delight before she closes the distance between the two of them and presses her lips firmly against her lovers. The kiss is chaste, but at the same time it's passionate, loving, and deep, portraying both of their emotions into that one gesture.

When the need for air becomes too great, Alex pulls away before she grins and pecks Casey on the lips one last time. "That one was extra." She says quietly before she giggles and lies down on the grass with her head resting comfortably in Casey's laps. "Now you have to hold up your end of the deal."

"Well, I am a woman of my word you know." Casey teases before she picks up the book that was formerly lying beside them on the grass. "Where do you want me to start?"

"The beginning. It's always good when you start from the beginning." Alex instructs willfully.

Casey smiles and looks down at the woman lying in her lap. Her heart flutters about fifteen times over when beautiful icy blue eyes land on her own and she leans down to place a kiss to the woman's forehead before she cracks the book open and begins reading.

_"The year that Buttercup was born, the most beautiful woman in the world was a French scullery maid named Annette. Annette worked in Paris for the Duke and Duchess de Guiche, and it did not escape the Duke's notice that someone extraordinary was polishing the pewter. The Duke's notice did not escape the notice of the Duchess either, who was not very beautiful and not very rich, but plenty smart. The Duchess set about studying Annette and shortly found her adversary's tragic flaw." _

"What was the tragic flaw?" Alex asks enthusiastically even though she already knows the answer.

"Chocolate." Casey answers with a wide smile as she continues reading. _"Armed now, the Duchess set to work. The Palace de Guiche turned into a candy castle. Everywhere you looked, bonbons. There were piles of chocolate-covered mints in the drawing rooms, baskets of chocolate-covered nougats in the parlors._

_ Annette never had a chance. Inside a season, she went from delicate to whopping, and the Duke never glanced in her direction without sad bewilderment clouding his eyes. (Annette, it might be noted, seemed only cheerier throughout her enlargement. She eventually married the pastry chef and they both ate a lot until old age claimed them. Things, it might also be noted, did not fare so cheerily for the Duchess. The Duke, for reasons passing understanding, next became smitten with his very own mother-in-law, which caused the Duchess ulcers, only they didn't have ulcers yet. More precisely, ulcers existed, people had them, but they weren't called "ulcers." The medical profession at that time called them "stomach pains" and felt the best cure was coffee dolloped with brandy twice a day until the pains subsided. The Duchess took her mixture faithfully, watching through the years as her husband and her mother blew kisses at each other behind her back. Not surprisingly, the Duchess's grumpiness became legendary, as Voltaire has so ably chronicled. Except this was before Voltaire.)_

_ The year Buttercup turned ten, the most beautiful woman lived in Bengal, the daughter of a successful tea merchant. This girl's name was Aluthra, and her skin was of a dusky perfection unseen in India for eighty years. (There have only been eleven perfect complexions in all of India since accurate accounting began.) Aluthra was nineteen the year the pox plague hit Bengal. The girl survived, even if her skin did not._

_ When Buttercup was fifteen, Adela Terrell, of Sussex on the Thames, was easily the most beautiful creature. Adela was twenty, and so far did she outdistance the world that it seemed certain she would be the most beautiful for many, many years. But then one day, one of her suitors (she had 104 of them) exclaimed that without question Adela must be the most ideal item yet spawned. Adela, flattered, began to ponder on the truth of the statement. That night, alone in her room, she examined herself pore by pore in her mirror. (This was after mirrors.) It took her until close to dawn to finish her inspection, but by that time it was clear to her that the young man had been quite correct in his assessment: she was, through no real faults of her own, perfect._

_ As she strolled through the family rose gardens watching the sun rise, she felt happier than she had ever been. "Not only am I perfect," she said to herself, "I am probably the first perfect person in the whole long history of the universe. Not a part of me could stand improving, how lucky I am to be perfect and rich and sought after and sensitive and young."_

_ The mist was rising around her as Adela began to think. Well of course I'll always be sensitive, she thought, and I'll always be rich, but I don't quite see how I'm going to manage to always be young. And when I'm not young, how am I going to stay perfect? And if I'm not perfect, well, what else is there? What indeed? Adela furrowed her brow in desperate thought. It was the first time in her life her brow had ever had to furrow, and Adela gasped when she realized what she had done, horrified that she had somehow damaged it, perhaps permanently. She rushed back to her mirror and spent the morning, and although she managed to convince herself that she was still quite as perfect as ever, there was no question that she was not quite as happy as she had been._

_ She had begun to fret._

_ The first worry lines appeared within a fortnight; the first wrinkles within a month, and before the year was out, creases abounded. She married soon thereafter, the selfsame man who accused her of sublimity, and gave him merry hell for many years._

_Buttercup, of course, at fifteen, knew none of this. And if she had, would have found it totally unfathomable. How could someone care if she were the most beautiful woman in the world or not. What difference could it have made if you were only the third most beautiful. Or the sixth. (Buttercup at this time was nowhere near that high, being barely in the top twenty, and that primarily on potential, certainly not on any particular care she took of herself. She hated to wash her face, she loathed the area behind her ears, she was sick of combing her hair and did so as little as possible.) What she liked to do, preferred above all else really, was to ride her horse and taunt the farm boy._

_ The horse's name was "Horse" (Buttercup was never long on imagination) and it came when she called it, went where she steered it, did what she told it. The farm boy did what she told him too. Actually, he was more a young man now, but he had been a farm boy when, orphaned, he had come to work for her father, and Buttercup referred to him that way still. "Farm Boy, fetch me this"; "Get me that, Farm Boy—quickly, lazy thing, trot now or I'll tell Father."_

_ "As you wish."_

Casey pauses reading as she looks down to find Alex's eyes closed and her breathing has evened out. She smiles as she continues to gently run her fingers through silky blonde hair, marveling in just how beautiful and at peace her lover looks when she is truly and completely relaxes.

She closes the book at sets it back beside her as she continues to comb her fingers through Alex's hair. She knows for a fact that that motion it self accompanied by her reading was enough to gently lull the blonde to sleep. But she isn't complaining. It gives her time to lovingly and openly gaze at the woman that has captured her heart completely.

**End Flashback **

Casey concludes reading the excerpt from the book and she looks up to find that Alex has silent tears running down her face. She places the book on the end table once again and scoots closer, but pauses when the blonde simply scoots away. "Alex? Alex, what-what's wrong?"

Alex squeezes her eyes shut in an attempt to halt her flowing tears, but she finds her attempt futile when she opens them once again and a fresh new wave of tears poor down her cheeks. "Why didn't you come back?" she whispers, her voice laced and thick with emotion.

Casey winces at the question and she should have known that she wouldn't have been able to avoid the question for ever. "I-…" she begins, trailing off when she realizes that she doesn't particularly have an answer to the question. No, she has an answer, but it isn't the answer that she can admit to. "I-I don't know…"

"I waited for you! You have no idea how hard it was for me to spend all that time alone by myself after everything that we shared. When you left for the war, I just…I felt it in my heart that you were going to come back, because you promised me you would. You promised Casey! And I-I believed you. I believed that you were going to come back for me and you never did. For the longest of times, I thought you were dead. I thought you had been killed in the war and then I started to mourn even though I knew absolutely nothing. I didn't know what else to do at that point. I forced my self to move on and I fell in love with someone else Casey. When Abbie asked me to marry her, I-I said yes. Then I got your letter on my wedding day and I didn't know what to think. I thought you were telling me that you were finally coming for me, but it was just you explaining how you couldn't come back just yet. I realized at that moment that I had to force my self to move on, so you know what I did? I walked down the aisle that day and I got married. You just…you didn't come back…"

"I know, and I am so sorry. I hate my self every day because I didn't come back. But I'm here now."

"I'm married Casey!" Alex exclaims loudly as she shoots up from the couch. "I belong to someone else now. I just…coming here was a mistake. I need to leave."

Casey's eyes widen as she stands up and gently grasps the blonde's wrist. "No, please don't go. We can talk some more. Please stay."

Alex shakes her head as she lightly pulls her wrist away. "Please. I just need go home so I can think on my own."

"Well, please then. Attend my next party? You can…you can bring your wife if you have to, but I would really like for you to be there." Casey explains softly as her face resembles that of a wounded puppy. "Please?"

"I'll see." Alex responds with a small nod before she sighs quietly. "It was nice seeing your home."

"I'm glad I could show you." Casey states as she sees Alex away. Once she is sure that the blonde is gone, she turns back into her castle-like home and sighs heavily. "I don't think that she was aware that all of this is for her."

Alex quickly makes the drive back to her home across the bay, all the while attempting not to turn into an emotional disaster. She pulls in front of the house and exits the car, giving the key to the waiting butler for him to drive it back into the garage. With a heavy sigh, she makes her way up the steps, assuming that she is once again entering an lonely, empty house.

She moves on autopilot as she enters her house and shrugs off her coat, handing it to the awaiting housekeeper. She asks if she has any messages of any sort, not really surprised when she has a few from her best friend; she'll just answer them later.

As she proceeds into one of the living rooms, she pauses in her tracks when she is completely stunned to see her wife sitting in one of the armchairs, flipping through the newspaper. This is definitely an odd turn of events. Almost immediately, Alex feels the tears well up in her eyes and threaten to fall.

"Hey you." Abbie greets with a warm smile as she places her paper on the coffee table. She approaches her wife and gives her a tender kiss on the lips. A tiny frown appears on her face when she takes in the blonde's facial expression. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Alex opens her mouth to respond only for a tiny squeak to escape instead. She immediately bursts into tears and heavy sobs as she drops her head onto her wife's shoulder. She vaguely feels her self being guided down onto a sofa, where she immediately curls into the brunette as her body continues to wrack heavily with sobs. She doesn't know why she's crying, but as of late, she feels like she doesn't know anything anymore.

**That excerpt up there was from 'The Princess Bride' which is one of my favorite books/movies. I think that it kind of fit well in being Alex's favorite book…considering. Lol, anyhow, leave your feedback! **


	6. Chapter 6

**iTrick: But Elsa and Anna were sisters…right O_o? **

**Surfrider: oh I am SO glad that you asked that question? Seems to be that you're the only one of that concern hehehehe. Maybe we'll find that out in the next chapter or two? **

**TKR.87: You sound like you're on to something there, Hon :3 **

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter :)**

Alex can unfortunately admit that she is a woman who does not exactly get out much and because of that, she isn't exactly used to a whole bunch of people being in one place at one time. Now, for being a person who has not ever been around a whole bunch of people at one time, a party should probably not be there first experience; especially if it's a Casey Novak party. All of this probably explains why Alex is clinging to her wife's arm like her entire life depends on it. Well, there's that among other reasons that she has attempted to push into the back of her mind for the evening.

"You know Al, I've never really pegged you to be one to want to come to a party like this." Abbie states as she cautiously looks around, a little disgusted with the behavior of a few of the guests from those downing gluten loads of colorful liquids, to those diving from ridiculous areas in an attempt to do a make shift stage drive. "Ah, the dangers of alcohol, sweetheart."

"Oh, stop it you. You can honestly not say that you've never had a few too many." Alex chides lightly as she continues to clutch Abbie's arm tightly for fear of them being separated. "Besides, it will be fun. We never get out and have fun like we should."

"I have plenty of fun. I'm a fun person." Abbie answers quickly with a frown on her face.

"Right, of course. How could I forget…" Alex says quietly before she sighs heavily and shakes her head. She glances around once more and looks up to where she spots Casey chatting with Serena on the second floor. A small smile spreads across her lips for a brief moment before she remembers not only just where she is, but more importantly, who she's with. "Oh look, there's Serena! We should, um, go say hi?"

Fortunately, Abbie doesn't question and Alex soon finds her self climbing the stairs towards her best friend. As soon as she sets foot on the very last step, she finds her self bombarded with a very familiar, vice-grip like huge. "Goodness, Serena, you act like we never see each other."

"I know, but this time it's different." Serena exclaims as she pulls away with a wide smile. "This time it's because I'm finally seeing you get out of the house and do something that's fun."

Alex can't hide her eye roll before she shakes her head and makes eye contact with Casey. "Um…hi…" she says quietly, her gaze casting down towards the ground as her mind begins to recall the talk that they shared in the library not too long ago.

A very uncomfortable looking Casey swallows thickly before she runs a hand through her hair and manages a shaky smile. "H-hi…" she stammers tightly as her eyes stay fixated on the dark haired stranger in her presence. In an attempt to keep her cool, she extends her hand in greeting to try to make nice. "Hi, I'm Casey. You must be Abbie. I've heard so much about you."

Abbie is briefly thrown off guard before she accepts and returns the handshake. "Well, all good things, I hope. This is my wife Al-"

"We've met before." Casey cuts in quickly, immediately regretting the words as soon as they leave her mouth.

"You have?" Abbie asks curiously before she quickly glances at her wife who seems to be extremely interested in the floor. "Where have you two met before?"

"I-it's was in passing." Serena jumps in quickly in an attempt to save the explosives from the situation. "See Casey is a mutual friend of mine."

Abbie continues to eye Casey suspiciously before she then slides her arm around her wife's waist in a protective manner. "Yes, of course." She mutters quietly as her eyes narrow.

Alex bites her bottom lip before she leans towards Abbie's ear and whispers quietly on how she is going to depart in search of a restroom. She flashes a small smile to the other women before she quickly spins around and disappears among the crowd of people.

"So Casey, if you don't mind me asking, is all of this house yours?" Abbie asks curiously and slightly out of the blue.

Casey blinks several times before the question even registers in her mind. "What? Oh yes, yes, it's…you see, my parents were very wealthy so…when they passed they left me quite a bit of inheritance. Not to mention the money I received from my grandparents in their will."

"I see. And where did you attend college?"

"College? Well, I went to Harvard of course."

"Harvard? Really?" Abbie repeats with interest as she raises her eyebrows. "I went there as well. Small world, right?"

A brief look of some sort passes across Casey's face and as soon as it's there, it's gone far too soon for any of the other women to notice it. "Oh really? Huh well, as you said, it is such a small world right. And where is it that you live exactly."

Abbie nods her head and spins around as she gestures out one of the many large windows. "Alex and I have an estate right across the bay there. It belonged to my mother."

"Really? Well, I bet it's a lovely home." Casey trails off as she begins to wonder where Alex has disappeared off to.

"It is." Abbie responds as she once again begins to take note of the redhead's curious behavior. She glances at Serena briefly before she quirks an eyebrow in Casey's direction. "So are the two of you…?"

Serena's eyes widen before she vigorously shakes her head. "Us? No, no of course not. We're just friends. Nothing else going on there."

Casey clears her throat awkwardly before she manages a smile. "If the two of you will excuse me for a moment, there's a matter that really needs my attention." She says before she excuses her self.

Abbie's eyes narrow into thin slits as she stares after the woman before she turns back to Serena. "Something seems extremely off about her."

Serena frowns briefly before she shakes her head, signaling her confusion. "What do you mean? She's actually a really nice person you know."

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I am saying that there's something about her that just gives off this bad vibe for me. It's something that I don't like." Abbie mutters, more to her self than to Serena. "Well, look, if you happen to be walking around and see my wife somewhere, tell her that I'm looking for her?"

Meanwhile, Alex stands outside in the garden staring up at the star speckled sky. She sighs quietly before she wraps her arms around her self not only to keep the heat in, but also out of habit for seeking comfort. There is a light, familiar stinging behind her eyes, but she knows that she is completely incapable of crying any more. She feels like she has cried her self free of tears.

Upon hearing the slight shuffle of feet behind her, Alex turns around and she is a little surprised to find Casey standing there, watching her with an unreadable expression. It looks almost as if she wants to say something but Alex can't exactly be sure.

The two women stand completely still as they stay locked and lost into each other's gazes. It's almost as if they have invented a new version of sign language that doesn't require the motion of hands, but just the look in one's eyes that can speak about a million of their emotions.

Casey takes a step forward and continues to do so until they are standing so close together that a magazine probably wouldn't be able to fit in between the two of them. She reaches out with both of her hands and tentatively runs them over the smooth skin of the blonde's arms, up to her neck, across both of her shoulders, and down her arms again. it's almost as if a wave of electricity accompanied her touch.

Feeling rather bold, Casey remains silent as she then gently places both of her hands on Alex's face, softly cupping her cheeks. Slowly, she begins moving in closer once more, pausing when she is sure that they are practically sharing breathing space. She holds them for a moment before she closes that last bit of distance between them, gently pressing their lips together.

Alex can't help but sigh into the loving familiarity of the kiss. This one kiss has sparked so many memories for her and despite the voice screaming in her head, she finds her self unwilling to pull away. In fact, she finds her self shamefully and tentatively responding to the kiss.

Casey's arms slip around the blonde's waist, pulling Alex into her before she moves her lips from Alex's mouth to her chin, down her neck and to her shoulders all the while, her hands rubbing gently up and down her sides.

Alex's mouth falls ajar in a silent gasp at the sensation of Casey's lips against her skin. As she rests her hands on the redhead's shoulder, her wedding ring catches the light, sparkling almost tauntingly as it stares back at her. The sudden remind her jars her from her blissful stupor and she gently pushes on Casey's shoulder, to separate from their embrace.

"Alex…?" Casey whispers almost silently as she tilts her head and looks at the love of her life with a wounded expression.

Alex opens her mouth but no words fall past her lips before she closes her mouth and shakes her head slowly. She drops her head down to the ground and shakes it once more, blinking at the tears still hidden behind her eyes. "I don't know." she mumbles quietly, so quietly that Casey nearly missed it.

"No one has to know." Casey speaks up, matching the quiet tone as she reaches out and gently tucks a stray strand of golden hair behind the blonde's ear. "No one will ever have to know. It will just be you and me."

"No one?"

"No one."

Instead of responding verbally, Alex snaps her mouth shut and jerkily nods her head. She nearly jumps out of her skin, however, when a rather expressive, loud, and familiar voice graces them with it's presence.

"There you two are! I've been looking all over!" Serena exclaims as she approaches the two, successfully killing the mood. "This is where you ran off to?"

"Alex was just admiring the various flowers." Casey answers as a smile spreads across her face. "Aren't they beautiful? Even at night?"

"They're just gorgeous." Serena responds with a nod before she glances over towards her best friend. "Ali, Abbie is looking for you. I don't know what she wants, but she told me to tell you that she was looking for you."

"Thanks." Alex replies before she glances at Casey out of the corner of her eye. She takes a deep breath before she excuses her self to head back into the party to see if she can find her wife.

Serena waits until Alex is far enough out of earshot before her face turns serious and she quirks an eyebrow. "What were you two really up to out here?"

Casey's eyes flare before she frowns deeply at the question. "We weren't doing anything and even if we were, it wouldn't be any business of yours." She hisses before she moves to storm her way inside.

"Tread lightly, Cassandra." Serena says warningly causing the other woman to freeze in her tracks.

"Mind your own damn business, Southerlyn." Casey grumbles before she shakes her head and heads back inside.

Serena sighs heavily and shakes her head once more before she clicks her tongue out of disapproval. She doesn't quite know what's going on, but she has an eerie feeling in the depths of her stomach that nothing good can come from it.

**Ooo a little bit of foreshadowing maybe? Maybe not? Maybe so? Gee I wonder? Hehehe, leave your thoughts! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: exhaustion sucks…like…no lie. Just…wiped out…anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :3**

It seems as if the house has been dark for days. No lights, no visitors, no activity, and most obvious of all; no parties. It has just been dark and to the passing eye, it actually looks empty, but several people know better. There have been a few caught by the guards trying to sneak past the closed gates that have been locked up tight, but every last attempt has been proved to be pointless and futile.

With the darkness and the quiet, it gives people the opportunities to speculate over what may or may not be true. Everything has been said from the simplicities of the owner has moved to the ridiculous and complex fables to the house has been ransacked by the mafia and everything has been removed. No one really knows the truth, but if they were at all observant like a certain specific next door neighbor, they may have been able to figure it out.

The palace-like home is so quiet on the inside that the sound of a pin dropping would echo through the halls like a loud gong. Every now and then, the feint sounds of the head butler could be heard, but that is in the east wing; a completely opposite end of the house where he has been banished to indefinitely, much like the rest of the housing staff. In the west wing however, a different type of feint sounds can be heard, but no one is around to hear them; it was planned that way.

The sheets ruffle gently as they rhythmically move against one another. Casey dips her head slightly where she is able to capture her lover's lips in her own, drawing a gentle sigh from the both of them. Their lips glide smoothly against one another as Casey intertwines her left hand with Alex's right, while the other is in charge of keeping her hovered over the blonde.

Alex moans quietly as she feels lips move to gently caress the outline of her jaw all the way back until they reach her ear where they gently close around the lobe. She closes her eyes in bliss as she gently drags her fingernails down Casey's spine and back up her back again. A tiny squeak escapes her lips when she feels a bite on her shoulder, marking her, claiming her. There's no doubt in her mind that the notion is definitely going to leave a mark later if not now.

A tiny sigh escapes from her lips as she feels a hand gently roaming over her body. She involuntarily arches into the touch and whimpers into yet another kiss when she feels that hand gently ghost over where she feels like she needs it most. Her eyes squeeze shut once again when she feels fingers parting her, before slowly diving into her center.

Her nails claw mercilessly at the bare skin of Casey's shoulders as she allows for the redhead to pleasure her to heights that she didn't even know were humanly imaginable. She finds her self not only reaching a climax once, but three more times as she finds her self riding down from the high of the first one.

Casey gently strokes Alex's hair with her other hand before she leans down and connects their lips once again in a more chaste but equally passionate kiss. She teases the outside of the blonde's lips with her tongue before she is granted entrance and they engage in a synchronized dance that seems like they have choreographed to perfection for ages.

Alex moves her hands up Casey's shoulder to her neck, where she carefully hooks her arms around and pulls the redhead deeper into her. As their kiss deepens, Alex cracks her eyes open briefly before something catches the light. It's the same thing that has been catching the light for ages now almost as if it is doing it purposefully to mock her.

Her wedding ring stares at her accusingly as if it has eyes, a beating heart, and a mind of its own. It's almost as if lately it has been sitting on her finger, staring back at her for the sole purpose of mocking her; mocking her, tormenting her, reminding her of her infidelity and adultery; reminding her of the things that she never once thought that she her self would never once do. The simple thought of adultery disgusted her, and now here she is, lying amongst those who have committed such a terrible deed. Right at this moment, she feels no better than her cheating wife.

Gasping, Alex jolts awake to find her self breathing hard and heavily. Sweat has accumulated on her forehead as well as her neck and chest. Closing her eyes, she places her hand over her heart as she feels its rapid beating under her palm. She takes a deep breath as she finally wills her body to calm down as she relaxes into the warm confines of the mattress.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Casey voice breaks gently through the darkness as she wraps her arms tighter around the blonde, pulling her closer into her body.

"Something like that." Alex replies quietly as she lays her head on Casey's chest before draping an arm over her waist. "I didn't wake you did I?"

Casey shakes her head as she places a gentle kiss to the blonde's head. "No, you didn't. I've been awake for a while. I just love how peaceful you look when you're sleeping." She says as she lightly traces Alex's facial features with her thumb. "You look so relaxed when you're asleep. You don't look like you're hurting, or in pain, or tired, or anything like you. You look beautiful, just like you always do no matter how you're feeling on the inside."

A small smile appears on Alex's face before she sighs, whether it be out of content, or defeat, she isn't exactly sure on which. She snuggles further into Casey's side as she stares out at the lights on the land across the bay. "I feel like she's watching me right now." she says quietly as she stares out the window at her home that sits across the water. "I don't even know if she's home right now, but I feel like she's watching me. Like she knows where I am and what I'm doing."

"Does it matter?" Casey questions as she shifts in the bed once more to get a better view of the woman's face even in the darkness of her bedroom. "I love you. You know that. Why does she even matter anymore?"

"Because…" Alex begins but trails off quietly. She sits up and draws the blanket up to her chest as she continues to stare out the window, trying to keep her tears at bay. She wants to answer the question, but she feels like she can't; and that's not including the fact that the answer probably isn't fair.

Casey sighs heavily before she sits up as well and moves to where they are sitting right next to each other. She gently tucks Alex's hair behind her ear before she leans in and places a tender, lingering kiss to her cheek. "Alex, we've been doing this for weeks and you haven't expressed any type of discomfort until now. What's going on?"

Shaking her head, Alex drops her chin to her chest and heaves a heavy sigh. "I just haven't had time to really think." She mumbles as she fiddles with the ring on her finger.

Casey purses her lips tightly before she takes Alex's left hand in her own. She glances into confused blue eyes briefly before she begins to slide the ring off of the left ring finger. She only pauses when Alex flinches and tries to clench her hand into a fist. "Alex…"

"W-what are you doing?" the blonde whispers, her hand trembling as she snatches it back. "Casey, please…"

"You're right. It would be too much to ask of you." Casey states before she shakes her head. "Right now, at least."

Alex closes her mouth and sighs heavily before she rests her head back on Casey's shoulder. "I wish that things weren't so difficult. I wish that they were like they were all those years ago." she whispers quietly more to her self than to Casey.

"Tell me…tell me what you remember."

"I-I remember the day you told me you were leaving."

**Flashback **

Alex rolls her eyes drastically as she continues to watch the ongoing tennis game between her best friend and her cousin. They had offered her to play with them, but she had never been one to be all that interested in sports. She always wondered why her mother insisted that they have a tennis court on their property if they were never once even going to use it for anything.

She sighs heavily and rolls her eyes once again as she watches the two begin arguing over what she assumes to be there score of the game. "You two are acting like barbaric idiots." She calls out before she stands up and begins making her way across the yard. She ducks when she hears the whiz of something over her head and she looks up just in time to see the green-yellow color of a tennis ball shooting across the yard. "Idiots…"

Bored is a term that is quite frequented in Alex Cabot's vocabulary so it is not surprising that on this particular warm summer day, she is in fact bored. With another heavy sigh, she makes her way towards the back patio of the house, but freezes in her tracks when she sees a very familiar walking towards her.

A wide smile spreads across her lips as she sprints across the grass and practically leaps into her lover's arms. She tightly wraps her arms around Casey's neck and presses their lips together in a tight, warm, and slightly sloppy kiss. "Oh you have no idea of how glad I am to see you right now." she murmurs in between kisses.

Casey, unable to immediately pull away, responds to one last kiss one last time before she lightly separates the two of them. "Hey you. You know I'm always glad to see you." she says with a smile before that smile fades.

It's a gesture that Alex doesn't miss and it isn't until then that she realizes her girlfriend's attire. She is clad in what looks to be the Marine's dress blue uniform, complete with the white hat that she's clutching in her right hand. "Why are you all dressed up in uniform?" she asks curiously before a seductive smile spreads across her face. "Not that I'm complaining, you know how turned on I get when it comes to a woman in uniform."

"I know, Baby, but this time it's not that simple." Casey begins, taking a deep breath as she takes both of Alex's hands in her own. "Alex, I-I…I'm being shipped out."

"Shipped out?" Alex repeats dumbly as her eyes widen with fear. "W-what do you…s-shipped out?"

"I'm being sent to Afghanistan…" Casey murmurs as she hangs her head.

Alex opens and closes her mouth several times before she can come up with something to say. Honestly, in the back of her mind she supposes that she knew that this was going to happen, but she has always prayed and hoped that her number one fear would not ever come true.

"Afghanistan…." Alex repeats once again as she casts her eyes downward. "When do you leave?"

"The day after tomorrow…" Casey replies quietly as it literally breaks her heart to share the news.

Alex is silent for a long moment before she lurches forward and wraps her arms around Casey once again, unable to stop the tears that are pouring down her face. "How long are you gonna be gone?"

"I don't know. But I'll write to you. I promise I will." Casey assures as she pulls away and gently cups the blonde's face in her hands, wiping her tears away with her thumbs. "Alex, I-I love you okay? Please know that and know that I will always love you and I will always be thinking about you. I promise you that I will come back for you. However long it may take me, I promise I'll come back."

"You promise you'll be careful too? I can't even begin to imagine the thought of something terrible happening to you." Alex whimpers as she clings to her lover like her life depends on it. "Please come back. Please."

"I promise."

**End Flashback **

Casey shamefully looks away as she bites down on her lower lip so hard that she can actually taste the metallic tang of blonde. "I don't know what else I can say other than I am sorry." she says quietly after a long silence. "You have to know that I'm sorry."

"I know that you're sorry, but that doesn't stop it from hurting." Alex chimes in softly before she ducks her head. "It's getting late and I've been here all day. I should probably be getting home before…well before Abbie starts getting too suspicious."

"Can I see you again tomorrow?" Casey asks hopefully as she reaches out and grasps the blonde's hand in her own.

Alex hesitates for a moment before she nods her head. As she slips on her clothing, she opens her mouth to say goodbye, but instead, she opts for crawling across the bed, kissing the redhead softly on the lips once more. "Goodnight Casey." She whispers before she shrugs on the last of her clothing and departs.

As she makes her way out to her car, she finds her self breaking down as soon as she sits in the front seat. Here she is, someone who has just spent the entire day making love with a woman that she is not married to, while she is now about to drive back to her home and crawl into bed next to her wife; a woman that she made vows and a commitment with. How does that make her any better?

**I honestly think I'm coming down with something again. I've been hacking and croaking all day and my body is tired and sore which really sucks here. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter. Leave your thoughts :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Don't worry Surfrider, I got you :) Hope you guys enjoy**

Alex sighs to her self as she allows for the hot water to rain down on her body. She stares blankly at the tiled wall in front of her, completely lost in her thoughts and completely oblivious to her surroundings. She isn't brought back to reality until she feels arms wrap around her waist and a chin rest gently on her shoulder. Involuntarily, she relaxes back into the embrace, feeling like she needs to be held.

"You've been so quiet over the past several days." Abbie says quietly trying to draw any kind of reaction from the woman in question.

"I guess I haven't had much to say then." Alex replies, with a hint of defeat and resignation in her voice as she lightly shrugs her shoulders. "Is that how people are when they don't have much to say? They're quiet?"

"I suppose." Abbie mumbles as she reaches over to one of the shelves where she feels around for a moment before she picks up the scented body wash. She squeezes a fair amount onto a washcloth before she sets about lathering it over her wife's body. Moments later, she hands up the small cloth and replaces it with her hand, dropping a gentle kiss to the blonde's neck.

Alex allows for her eyes to drift closed as she begins to day dream, only for them to open later at the sound of her wife's voice and a hand gently rubbing circles on her stomach. "I'm sorry, what was that?" she questions with a small frown, not having heard the comment.

Abbie chuckles quietly and places another gentle kiss to Alex's ear this time before she draws her closer. "I said, that I've been thinking for a little while now and I've been thinking that we should have a baby."

"A-a baby?!" Alex repeats a little louder than necessary as her eyes fly open. Of all of the things that she figured Abbie would mention, a baby, was most definitely not one of the things that appeared on the list. "You mean like…a baby? Like…a real baby? The real kind of baby?"

"I didn't know that there was any other kind of baby, sweetheart." Abbie laughs amusedly.

Alex opens and closes her mouth several times but she finds her self completely unable to form a sentence. Of course she has thought about children, but she's always figured that Abbie wouldn't want anything to do with the idea. "What made you think about it now?" she asks quickly regretting the slight urgency and nervousness in her voice. "I mean, I'm not objecting right away or anything but I just…we've never talked about children."

"Don't you think it's time that we did though? I think you would have a beautiful child Alex."

"Yeah, that and you need an heir…"

"I'm sorry?"

Sighing heavily, Alex spins around and manages a smile as she shakes her head. "Nothing." She says before she leans in and kisses her wife on the lips. She feels a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach and she can't recognize whether it's guilt, regret, or maybe some sort of deadly combination of both. "A baby sounds lovely."

That it does. Alex isn't going to lie and say she hasn't secretly sat around thinking about wanting a baby. She would love to have the feeling of a little person running around calling her 'Mommy' or someone to make cookies with, and color and do all kinds of things that small children like to do. Also, she is sure that she wouldn't feel quite as lonely anymore. But at the same time, right now she's so confused. What about Casey? Would Casey even want children? Does Casey even like the idea of children? It's all so much so soon.

After the couple exits the shower, Alex finds her self standing in front of the mirror as she brushes out her hair. She watches Abbie out of the corner of her eye putter around the bedroom trying to put her self together. After a moment of internal argument, she finally deems it a good opportunity to speak up. "What do you have planned for today?" she asks with interest.

"Ah, nothing much really. I'm going to get my car today." The brunette replies as she disappears into their walk in closet.

"Your car? I wasn't aware that you had taken your car somewhere. Where is it?"

"Yeah, there was something wrong with the battery or whatever, so I took it to Benson so she could take a look at it."

Alex hums as she continues to sit and gently drag the brush through her hair. "Oh, I see. So is that where you have been disappearing off to during the day most of the time?"

Abbie pauses looking through her shirts before she clears her throat and answers back. "Yeah, well you know. I have to make sure that she treats it right and is gentle with it."

"Of course." Alex replies with a tiny eye roll before she takes a deep breath. "So you wouldn't mind if I went with you, then?"

"What?"

"To get your car. You wouldn't mind if I went with you to get your car?"

Abbie is silent for a moment before she exits the closet not fully dressed. "Um, sure. I mean…if you really want to, I don't think it will be a problem. I can't understand why you would want to go though. I'm just going to get my car…"

Alex smiles as she uses a clip to pin her hair behind her ear before she stands up and shrugs. "Oh, I don't know. I just think it will be fun for us to get out of the house together, you know? You could show me what it is about this car of yours that keeps you away all day."

"Um…sure. I'll arrange for a taxi to pick us up and then we'll be on our way?"

"Can't wait."

The taxi ride into town seems a little bit tense to Alex. She daintily sits with her legs crosses in the seat while her wife seems to be slouching and bouncing her leg up and down, giving off some sort of tense uneasiness within her. Shaking her head, Alex hums quietly to her self as she watches the passing city buildings out side of the window, suddenly wondering what Casey must be doing right about now.

Pretty soon, the taxi slows to a stop in front of a mechanics garage and Alex gets out of the car while Abbie pays the driver. She spots an exhausted looking, sweaty, and oil covered brunette shinning the rims of her wife's car with a rag.

"Liv!" Abbie exclaims as she moves forward, holding out her hands towards her car. "Ah, it looks great!"

The woman called Liv looks up and smiles upon seeing the two women walking towards her. "Hey. I didn't think you were gonna be coming by so early." She responds as she stands up and wipes the hood of the car with the rag. "You needed a new battery so I replaced that, but I also went ahead and replaced the break cylinders and checked the engine for any problems. I also changed the oil, the tires, and I replaced the windshield wipers too. She really is a beauty, isn't she?"

"That she is." Abbie hums as she opens the door to her car and sits in the front seat. She starts the car and smiles upon hearing the lovely purr of the engine. "Oh that sounds amazing." She then shuts the car off and closes the door before she gestures towards her wife. "Liv, this is my wife Alex. Alex, this is Olivia."

"It's nice to finally meet the woman that Abbie talks so much about." Olivia says as she reaches out and shakes the blonde's hand.

Alex quirks an eyebrow briefly before she smiles politely. "Well, all of them are good things I hope." She responds with a hint of humor in her voice.

"You two want anything? Like a water or something?"

"No, we're good." Abbie answers quickly as she slides her arm around Alex's waist. "Is your wife around?"

"Yeah, she's inside. MANDA!"

A few seconds pass before a blonde exits the office of the shop with a rather annoyed look on her face. "You don't have to shout." She grumbles before a dreamy smile spreads across her face, but as soon as it's there, it's gone before any of the other women can notice it. "Oh. Hello."

"This is my wife, Amanda." Olivia states, pulling her wife over to introduce the two blondes.

"Nice to meet you." Alex greets politely as she extends her hand. "I'm Alex."

"A pleasure." The shorter woman replies with a smile, though her handshake is rather shaky and a little bit timid as she continues to eye the blonde up and down.

Alex unfortunately does not miss the nervousness of the handshake and her mind slowly begins to try and put two and two together. Though, not wanting to cause a scene she settles on smiling widely and moving back to stand next to her wife, preparing to test a little theory of hers. She smiles seductively, before she links her arms around Abbie's neck, pulling the brunette into a heated kiss. She has never really been one for PDA but she is determined to test this theory, so she smirks into the kiss just enough for their two onlookers to see her slide her tongue into her wife's mouth.

"Whoa…" Olivia mutters as she awkwardly rubs at the back of her neck at the spontaneous public display.

Out of the corner of her eye, Alex can see Amanda suck in a great amount of air before her mouth falls slight ajar. A look of confliction passes over the blonde's eyes before she closes her mouth and spins on her heel, quickly disappearing back into the shop. It isn't until then that Alex breaks the kiss and smirks soundly. "I'll wait in the car." She whispers before she goes and does just that.

"Wow." Abbie whispers before clearing her throat, still taken a little of guard from the kiss. "So, Liv, uh, what do I owe ya?"

The car ride is just as tense as the taxi ride, but this time, the tenseness is on Alex's part. She sits in the passenger seat and examines her nails nonchalantly before she finally speaks up. "So that blonde woman back there. Is that the woman you've been sleeping with?"

The question, much like the kiss from earlier, takes Abbie completely off guard and she has to slam her foot on the break to avoid hitting the person in the car in front of her. "What!?" she exclaims with wide eyes, portraying shock and absurdity at being asked such a question.

"You heard me." Alex responds, keeping her voice even but her eyes hard. "Is that the woman that you have been sleeping with?"

"I'm not sleeping with anyone else Alex, you know that!"

"Do I? What am I supposed to make of everything from the fact that you're practically gone all day, every day? What am I suppose to make of the mysterious phone calls that you take late into the night when you think I'm asleep? What am I supposed to think about all of that?"

Abbie rests her elbow against the driver's side door before she pinches the bridge of her nose. "Alex, you're being ridiculous." She says irritably, wanting to get off of the conversation.

Alex raises her eyebrows before she snaps her head towards the woman next to her. "Am I!? It's ridiculous now that I just want you to tell me the truth!?"

"How can you sit there and do that? How can we sit there and talk about having children this morning and now you're going to sit there and accuse me of cheating on you?! Are you fucking serious?!" Abbie shouts, catching her self before she can continue on. "I'm not cheating on you and I'm sorry that I've given you the impression that I am, but I'm not."

"Whatever." Alex mumbles quietly as she shakes her head and looks away. She knows that she isn't wrong about this, but she also knows that it'd be completely pointless to continue to sit there and argue about it so she's not going to worry about it. Not until she has to anyway.

**Yeah, I admit, it was kind of a filler. But it also was a *CHUNG CHUNG* chapter too. Lol, leave your thoughts! **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Short chapter, I know. But that's why it's a filler. It's a dramatic filler though, I'll tell you that much :3 enjoy !**

The silence in the dining room is heavy. In fact, the silence is so heavy that the heavy weight of the silence is resting on everyone's shoulders like a two ton boulder that refuses to budge. The silence is heavy just as much as it is tense. It's the kind of silence that holds so much intensity, that the tension could be sliced cleanly with a knife.

"It's nice that you could join of us for lunch Casey." Abbie says challengingly as she stares out over the bay from the window she is standing at. "Surely you are a very busy woman and I would hate to take away from any of your prior…engagements."

"Well, I'm not, that busy, per say, but it is nice to sit down and have a nice lunch once in a while." Casey responds with a smile as she gazes lovingly at Alex who sits across the table from her. It's a gaze that doesn't go unnoticed by the remaining two women occupying the table, but it is certainly missed by the woman glowering into the window.

Feeling a little more than uncomfortable, the redhead clears her throat before she stands up from her chair. "If everyone will excuse me for a moment; I do believe that I need to make a very important phone call." she says with a nod of her head before she exits the dining room.

Alex glances between her best friend and her cousin before she drops her head and places her hand to her stomach. She takes a quiet, yet shaky deep breath as she becomes lost in her own little world and she doesn't fully hear when someone is speaking to her for the first time. She snaps her head up quickly and bites down on her bottom lip as she finds her self being stared at by four pairs of eyes and she tries to figure out which one of them was speaking to her. "I'm sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts for a moment. What was that?" she asks generally, trying to draw who ever was speaking out.

"I said you look very pale. Are you ill?" Kim asks once again, narrowing her eye as she watches her cousins gaze continuously drop down towards her lap.

"Kim dear, she's always pale. This isn't news." Serena tries to deflect with a crisp shake of her head.

"No, I'm fine…I just…" Alex trails off as she feels the stinging sensation of bile rising in her throat. "In fact, I do feel a little nauseous. Excuse me." she finishes before she quickly stands up and all but runs from the dining room, leaving her cousin and best friend having a silent eye conversation between the two of them.

Having turned away from the window, Abbie notices the silent exchange between the two women and she places both of her hands on the back of their chairs before she leans down in between the two of them. "Is there something that the both of you would care to share?" she drawls lowly as the two women tense at her presence and close proximity. "Please, don't hesitate or be shy. Is there something that you know that I don't?"

"N-no, we were just…" Serena begins but trails off quietly, swallowing the thick lump in her throat at suddenly being put on the spot like this. There aren't a lot of things in the world that intimidate her, but she can shamefully admit that Abbie Carmichael is unfortunately one of those few things that do. "We were...um…Kim?"

"I was just questioning my cousin's health and well being. I didn't realize that was a crime, Abigail." Kim speaks up smoothly, not the least bit intimidated by Abbie's scare tactics. Her eyes narrow when she feels breathing against her ear and she knows that her personal space has been invaded.

"Why so snarky, Kimberly? I was just asking a simple question now was I. It would be nice if you respected me, now wouldn't it? After all, you are sitting at my dining table, in my dining room, in my home. I would hate to have family escorted off of the property." Abbie concludes with a rather menacing chuckle.

Kim's eyes harden in anger though she remains still in her chair. She resists the urge to shake her head in disapproval when she glances at Serena out of the corner of her eye and sees that the blonde is literally shaking like a leaf. She rolls her eyes before she turns her attention back to the woman still invading what little personal space she had left. "Alex is my family. You, on the other hand, unfortunately came with the package. You know, it took everything I had not to object at your wedding because even then I knew that you could never make her happy. Sometimes I blame myself for this mess."

"If I'm not mistaken, she is plenty happy here. If she were not, she would have left sooner and I wouldn't have stopped her. But has she left? No, and do you know why she hasn't left? Because she loves it here and she loves me."

"Of course she's happy. She's happy while she's sitting at home by her self every other night while you're out fucking what ever sloppy mess you have on the side until you get bored with it and decide to come home."

"How dare you accuse me of such heinous infidelities?"

"They aren't really accusations if they're true." Serena chimes in, immediately regretting her words as soon as they leave her mouth. She shrinks in her chair as she feels Abbie's presence looming over her and she now understands what it feels like to have such personal space be invaded. "I didn't mean what I said."

"I think you did." Abbie nearly growls with anger as she leans in closer. "You know what I think Serena? I think that the two of you are jealous. I think that you are jealous because out of the three of you, I chose Alex. Jealousy doesn't look good on either of you, you know. Especially you Serena, since you have a face of such delicacy and…innocence; or so you lead us all to believe."

"I thought we already established I don't like you being this close to me." Kim deadpans when she feels Abbie appear behind her once again. Her eyes blaze in anger when she feels a tongue lick the shell of her ear and she grabs a knife from the table, shooting up from her chair and pointing it towards the neck of the brunette in question. "You touch me again and I'll slice you like thanksgiving turkey."

Serena's eyes widen at the exchange and she vigorously shakes her head. "Kim, the knife! Put it down!" she hisses warningly as she tugs on the other woman's sleeve to pull her back down into the chair.

Meanwhile, Alex makes her way out onto the balcony where she sees Casey just ending her phone call. She wraps her arms around her body and she takes a shuddering deep breath when she finds her self being pulled into the red haired woman's embrace. "Case, we can't. Not here. Not while everyone is just inside."

"They can't see us." Casey rationalizes as she tries to pull Alex in for a kiss only to frown when the blonde shakes her head and turns away. "Al? Baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just…I had to vomit a few moments ago and I really don't feel comfortable kissing anyone after that." Alex confirms with a small blush at her cheeks.

"Vomit? Honey, are you sick?"

"It was probably just something that I ate earlier. I'm fine though."

Casey nods her head before she pulls Alex into her arms once again. "Alex, I want you to tell her." she begins as she gently runs her fingers through long, silky blonde hair. "I want you to tell her about us and I want you to tell her we're in love."

Alex's eyes widen at the request and for the longest of times she doesn't know what to say. In fact, she feels as if all of the air has been sucked away from her. "Casey, I-I don't know…"

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I-I mean that, I-I don't know if I can…I mean, I…I'm scared Casey. I just…more time. Please, more time."

"But Al," Casey begins as she gently cups the blonde's cheeks with both of her hands. "I want to be with you. I want us to be together. Everything across the bay over there; I did it for you Baby. My house, my cars, my clothes, the books, the art, all of it is for you. Leave this place behind and come live with me where you belong. We can even go away if you want and we can just start over. We belong together Alex."

Alex opens her mouth and closes it immediately as she feels tears immediately spring to her eyes for no reason what so ever. "I-I, Casey, I want to, but I…please just give me some more time. Right now really isn't the best time."

Casey is silent for a moment before she sighs heavily and nods her head. "I understand that…please just…think about it? I want you to tell her. I can't stand seeing you unhappy because of her anymore. It's killing me inside. Every day that I go without you or whenever you get up and leave my bed, it kills me just a little bit more. I don't know how much longer I can go without saying anything. I want to profess my love for you."

"I know. I'm trying. I just need time." Alex repeats quietly with a small nod. "We should…we should probably go back inside. But not together. I don't want Abbie getting suspicious. The last thing that either of us need is for her to start asking questions."

Casey nods her head and places a kiss to Alex's cheek before she allows for the blonde to head back inside to the dining room. She sighs heavily as she turns around and stares at her home across the bay, her heart leaping at the thought of being so close but yet so far.

**Hm…leave your thoughts? Please don't hesitate this time. I want to know what you guys know…or what you guys may THINK you know, mwahaha. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm not sure which Abbie you guys hate more, the one in this story or the one in Story of Us. What can I say, she makes a good antagonist at times :3 anyhow, hope you enjoy! **

"Honestly, I will never ever know what it is that you saw in that woman when you married her." Kim says with a disapproving shake of her head as she moves around her kitchen early one Saturday morning. "I mean honestly, she's never home and when she is home she is being nothing but controlling towards you. She gets off on scaring other people just because she knows that she can get away with doing so all because she has money. Well let me tell you something Alex, I'm sick of seeing you unhappy every time I go over there to visit. It nearly kills me inside to know that you put up with all of that and for what reason? I have asked my self that question on several occasions and I can never come up with an answer so it would be really beneficial if you could give me one. Why Alex, why do you constantly sit over there unhappy and miserable when there is a perfectly fine woman over here who loves you more than anything."

"I'm scared." Alex replies in a quiet tone. "It really isn't as easy as it sounds. I want it to be, but it's really not. I'm scared because I don't know the future. This is something that I'm not able to plan for. What happens if Casey leaves again? She's done it once before, how do I know that she won't do it again?! Do you have any idea of what it was like waiting all that time to hear from her? I waited Kim, I waited and waited for I don't know how long. She stopped returning my calls and she stopped returning my letters until I felt like I was completely alone since the very first day that she left. It got to the point to where I thought she was dead, simply because I couldn't think of any other reason of why she wasn't answering me because she had promised that she would always be there. She promised me that I would never have to worry because she would always be there to answer and she stopped. For years I waited for an answer of any kind. Probably hundreds of letters that I sent that time span were never returned. Sometimes I found myself reading over the letters that we had sent to each other just to try to remind my self that she was still out there; out there living for me. But nothing new ever came. It never did and it was starting to hurt so much, I—I just didn't know what else to do. I met Abbie and she was so…she was there and she cared for me. When she asked me to marry her, I felt like I was doing the right thing for me by saying yes but I knew that deep in my heart I still loved Casey. The day of my wedding, a letter finally came. My heart skipped a beat when I saw who it was from and I actually sat in the dressing room staring at it for several minutes because I felt like if I blinked, it was just going to vanish in my hands. My fingers were shaking so much I almost couldn't get the damn thing open. I opened the letter expecting to see her telling me she was coming home. I thought she was telling me that she was finally coming to get me and I was more than ready to run to her. But that's far from what I got in that letter. Do you know what that letter said Kim? It said that she wasn't coming home. She said that what we had wasn't enough for her to come home to anymore. She told me that there was a slim chance that I would ever see her again and she would come back when she so felt that she needed to. She told me Kim! She told me she wasn't coming home! I was so heart broken, I—I didn't know what to do. But you know what I eventually did? I forced my self up, I put that dress on and I walked down that damn aisle and I got married. I led my self to believe that I was in love with Abbie. I-I feel like I've become dependent on her since then because even though she isn't there she's taken care of me."

"She has deceived you into believing that she is taking care of you. For heavens sake, she's cheating on your Alex! What more do you need? I don't care what you do, but I want you to leave her."

"I hardly think that my little cousin is going to have much of an influence on my decision."

"Clearly age does nothing because between the two of us, I have a lot more sense than you do." Kim snorts as she places a few strips of bacon in the skillet. "Look, I just want to see you happy alright? I think Casey can make you happy, you just have to give her a chance."

Alex bites down on her bottom lip and she averts her eyes to her hands before she nods. "I know…I-I know. I just…I don't know how to tell Abbie I'm leaving."

Kim snorts again as she shakes her head vigorously. "Here's a thought. Just leave and send her a letter telling her you've left. Please Alex. I…I don't trust her. I never have. I don't want her to hurt you anymore than she already has. You know I can never stand to see you hurting like this."

"I-I want to tell her. I want to leave, but I…I've already made a mistake…"

"Honey, that's what divorce is for. You can correct these kinds of mistakes."

"That's not what I-" Alex trails off as the smell of bacon wafts across her nose. Her stomach lurches violently and her hand flies to her mouth as she slides off of the barstool, making a mad dash towards the bathroom. She just barely makes it before she loses the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She wretches violently for several minutes before she stands up and staggers over towards the sink to give her self cleaned up.

Groaning, she rinses out her mouth and makes her way out of the bathroom, not the least bit surprised when she runs into her cousin right out side the door. "Please no questions. I had the stomach flue a few days ago and I guess that it hasn't really subsided yet. You'll have to forgive me."

Kim folds her arms as she eyes her cousin with a suspicious look. "Uh huh and when did you realize it was the stomach flu? A few days ago, you simply said that it was food poisoning."

"Well maybe it wasn't. Kim, I said no questions."

"Yeah, right, like that's gonna happen. Tell me what's going on."

"It's nothing! I'm sick!"

"You're lying, but I'm not going to force you to tell me. You'll tell me when you're ready."

Alex sighs heavily before she folds her arms and makes her way into the living room where she sits on the very edge of the sofa, wrapping her arms around her self as she seeks comfort. "You sound like you already know…" she says quietly as she focuses her attention on a random smart on the floor.

Kim shrugs her shoulders as she crosses the room and takes a seat next to the blond on the couch. "I think that I do, but you don't have to say it out loud if you don't want me to. Do you…want me to be happy?"

"I can't tell you how to feel Kimberly."

"But you can tell me how _you _feel Alexandra."

Alex sighs again as a small smile spreads across her face. "When I think about it, I feel happy, but then I really think about it, I get scared again. This is supposed to be an amazing incredible thing that's happening right? Is it wrong that I'm feeling scared?"

Kim thinks for a moment before she gives a small shrug of her shoulders. "I wouldn't know. I would suppose that it's natural to feel a little afraid in this situation. Is it to late to turn back?"

"Even if it is, I could never do that. I would never do something like that. It's just…it's horrible to me and I cringe just thinking about it."

"Does Casey know?"

"I haven't had the chance to tell her yet."

"Honey, I think that you need to tell her. If anything is to happen between the two of you then I strongly believe that she has the right to know. Plus, it's not as if it's anything that you're going to be hide for an extensive period of time."

"I know. Do you think that she's home right now?"

"She should be…I recommend you going to see her."

Alex is silent for a moment before she nods shakily and gives her cousin a hug. "Thank you for listening. Even if I didn't do much talking."

Kim rolls her eyes before she accepts the hug. "Yeah well, that's what I'm here for. Just go handle your business. I would hate to murder your wife and then be on first forty eight as a suspect or something."

Alex laughs and bids her cousin good day before she nervously makes her way next door. She climbs the stairs to Casey's house and lingers outside for a moment before she shakily rings the doorbell. After waiting for a few moments, a butler answers the door, greeting her

"Hello Miss Cabot," the butler says with a grin. "What can I do for you today?" "Um, yeah, I was wondering if Casey was in, today?" The blonde responds nervously as she runs a hand through her hair out of nervous habit.

"Oh yes, Ma'am, she's right out back by the pool the last I saw her. Please, won't you come in?"

Alex nods her thanks as she follows the butler through the large empty house. It's different for her to be in such a house whenever there isn't a party going on, but in the time that she and Casey have been secretly spending together. She's become used to it.

Having become lost in her thoughts, Alex hadn't realized that she had been led out towards the back of the house. Her breath hitches in her throat when she steps outside and she sees Casey swimming laps around the pool.

"Alex! Hey!" Casey exclaims excitedly as she pokes her head out of the water. She waves her hand dismissing the butler as she swims over to the edge of the pool where she climbs out to greet her lover.

"Hey," Alex responds quietly as her eyes involuntarily begin roaming over Casey's body. Her skin glistens perfectly in the sunlight and the blue bikini she's wearing leaves very little to the imagination. In fact, Alex is so transfixed by the redhead's body, she actually misses the fact that Casey is talking to her. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I was wondering what you were doing here. This is a surprise." Casey chuckles as she involuntarily wraps the blonde in her arms. "Sorry, I'm kind of getting you wet."

Alex giggles at the terminology and leans further into Casey's embrace. "It wouldn't be the first time." She whispers before she finds her lips captured into a searing kiss. She moans into the kiss and kisses back with everything she has until the need to breath becomes far too great. "I need to talk to you."

Casey senses the seriousness in the blonde's tone and she tilts her head to the side in genuine worry. "Of course. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, I just…I'm ready. I want tell Abbie that we're in love."

**Kind of a cliffhanger here, yeah, I know. Boo on me. Anyhow, leave your thoughts! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I don't know what was going on last night, but the email notifications were being weird and messed up. Hope it's not like that tonight. Anyhow, kind of an intense chapter here, hope you enjoy **

"Really, I think it would be best if all went down to that restaurant we all love so much? Reserve a private dining room? It'd be nice." Alex says nervously as she wrings her hands relentlessly.

Abbie's eyes narrow into thin little silts as they pass back and forth between a certain redhead and her wife. Something just isn't sitting right here, and she's willing to bet on the fact that she knows what's going on. Clenching her teeth tightly, she suppresses the growl threatening to escape her lips before she clears her throat, eloquently regaining her composure. "You're right…that does sound like it could be refreshing. Casey?"

Casey blinks out of her stupor of gazing at Alex before she manages a rather nervous grin. "Sure, that sounds like it would be nice. Um, shall we all take one car? There are only five of us, so I think that-"

"That won't be necessary." Abbie cuts in, quickly dismissing the idea as one that she doesn't particularly favor. "I'll drive my wife and you can-"

"Actually…honey…I think I want to ride with Casey." Alex chimes in with an innocent grin. "You can drive Kim and Rena, though?"

"WHAT?!" Both Kim and Abbie exclaim loudly, glaring hard at each other when they realize that they've spoken in unison.

Serena clears her throat quietly before she deems it safe to inject her self into the conversation. "I'm not sure if that's the best of ideas…" she states quietly, thinking about her well being more than anyone else's at the moment.

"Sure it will. It will be fine." Alex presses with a tight smile, hoping that her best friend can kind of understand where she's going with this so she doesn't have to speak any further.

"I don't think that it matters…" Casey says quietly, more to her self than to anyone else.

The comment, however, doesn't go unnoticed by Abbie who folds her arms tightly. "Alright then. Since it doesn't matter, let me drive your car."

Frowning, Casey thinks for a moment before she glances at Alex who simply shrugs. Shrugging her self, she tosses the tall brunette her key chain and receives Abbie's keys in return. "Fine by me. Alex? You'll tell me where I'm going right?"

"Of course," the blonde replies with a small smile as she slides into the passenger seat.

Abbie actually growls this time before she storms off in the direction of Casey's car. "Will you two hurry up!?" she shouts at the two stationary women who she feels have been put off on her as cargo.

Serena budges first and she makes a mad dash for the backseat, doing anything she can not to sit up front. She smiles nervously and shrugs innocently at the hard glare that she receives from Kim due to her antics.

"Glad to know my copilot has finally graced us with her lovely presences." Abbie sneers at Kim who seems to be taking her sweet time in getting situated in the front seat.

"I am not your co-anything and you better remember that." Kim growls in response before she clicks on her seatbelt. "Now shut up and drive the damn car so I don't have to listen to you run your mouth."

"My dear sweet Kim, didn't you know I know how to multitask?" Abbie chuckles before she all but speeds out of the driveway, chuckling to her self once more as she sneaks a glance in the rearview mirror. "Have fun sitting there for a while."

Meanwhile, Casey taps her fingers repeatedly against the steering wheel before she frown appears on her face. "Alex, it's not starting." She deadpans before she turns her head to the blonde in question.

Alex frowns as well, opening and closing her mouth several times before she can come up with a reasonable response. "What do you mean 'it's not starting'?" she questions. Okay, maybe it may have not been the most reasonable of responses, but at least it was something.

"I mean, the car…" Casey pauses as she presses the engine start button once again only to be met with silence. "Is not starting."

"How can it not be starting? She just got it fixed like a week ago!" Alex exclaims, glancing around the dashboard for any solution to their problems before her eyes widen. "She didn't."

"She didn't what?" Casey repeats in confusion as she too begins to search the dash for anything that may help. She then turns back to pressing the start button repeatedly once again met with no solution. "Damn it!"

Alex bites the inside of her cheek as her eyes flick back and forth over the consoles of the car. Clearing her throat to make her voice more articulate, she leans in closer to the cars dashboard. "Engine start." She says clearly, frowning when once again nothing happens. Suddenly, a light bulb clicks in her head before she snaps her head towards Casey. "I have an idea. Kiss me."

"Kiss you? Alex, I highly doubt making out is gonna get the car star-" Casey then fins her self cut off as she is pulled into a lip bruising kiss. Out of natural instinct and habit, her tongue easily slides into Alex's open mouth, smirking when the blonde moans in pleasure from the gesture.

Their tongues glide smoothly against each other in a battle for dominance as they both lose themselves in the warmth and familiarity of the kiss. With much reluctance, Alex pulls away from the kiss and can't hide her smirk when Casey practically whines in protest.

"Engine start." Alex repeats again, her voice coming slightly husky and lower than normal. Her grin widens triumphantly when the car comes to life, obviously accepting the very good impression of her wife.

"And you married that snake, why?" Casey asks rhetorically as she leans over to give the blonde a small kiss on the lips before she puts the car in drive and leaves the driveway with screeching tires. "Oh, and you probably want to buckle up."

Meanwhile, Serena's eyes widen drastically as she fines her self practically begins tossed around the backseat like a paper sack despite the fact that she is wearing her seatbelt. "Abbie, do you think that there's any chance of you slowing down? I mean, we are all going to the same place."

"We are," Abbie repeats in understanding as she swerves around another vehicle that is moving far too slow for her liking. "I, however, am determined to get there first."

"Yes, and when we are on the news because you killed us in a fiery blaze of an accident, I know people who will have no problems burning your house down." Kim says flatly, yelping quietly when Abbie swerves purposely, causing her to bang her head against the window. "Oh, if you weren't driving right now."

"Do you ever shut up? Seriously, there has to be a time where you simply do not talk."

"Oh god, I think I'm gonna be sick." Serena groans as they hit yet another turn.

"Vomit all you want then, it's not my car." Abbie says nonchalantly as she looks up in time to see her own car flying past her. "Damnit."

Kim shakes her head in disapproval, completely unaware of the importance of this 'alpha-female' thing going on at the moment. "You two are incorrigible. You're both going about ninety on a street that is literally forty-five. Not to mention that, you're low on gas there, dipshit."

Abbie's eyes narrow at the vulgar insult and her hands clench tightly around the steering wheel. Honestly, if her wife was not related to this woman, she would have no problems leaving her in the middle of nowhere right about now.

Eventually, Abbie slows to a stop at a familiar mechanic's shop and she puts the car in park. Grumbling to her self, she turns around towards Serena who is looking rather oddly green. "Go inside and get Liv out here to get us some gas."

Doing anything to get on solid ground for at least a few minutes, Serena nods her head before she does as she's told, staggering inside nearly bumping into the blonde that is on her way out. "Excuse me…sorry."

"It's fine," Amanda says politely as she moves to the side for the woman to enter. Her smiles fades when she catches sight of a very agitated looking Abbie seated in a car having what looks to be a very heated discussion with a gorgeous dark haired woman who, by her standards, is probably ten times more beautiful than she is.

The mechanic's wife looks down at her own clothes and then back up at the clothes of the strange woman in the car, already deeming them to be on two opposite ends of the social spectrum. Swallowing thickly, she nervously toys with the rather extravagant diamond necklace hanging from her neck wondering if she has been cast aside for someone else.

"For five minutes! All I want from you is five minutes of sil-" Abbie's rant stops short when her eyes land on a rather familiar blonde lingering just outside. Her eyes widen drastically before she regains her composure, though she sits back against her seat though to keep her self from being seen.

It's a look that unfortunately for her doesn't go unnoticed and Kim immediately narrows her eyes in genuine suspicion before she turns her gaze towards her window, wondering just what has Abbie spooked. She takes note at how the blonde woman is looking at her and she quirks an eyebrow in more suspicion as she begins to put two and two together.

"Oh no. Don't tell me, that's your side piece of ass," Kim asks with a rather smug look on her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Abbie murmurs as she looks away and focuses her attention straight ahead.

"Aw, what's wrong Abigail? Are you afraid now because your two worlds have collided and they're now crashing down around you? It's such a shame because that poor lost looking thing over there looks like she's in love with you."

"Shut up!"

"Why should I? Because I have no idea of what I'm talking about?"

Serena hesitantly climbs back into the backseat after busing her self with filling up the gas tank. "Um, if you two are done with your shouting match. The tank should be full so we can…um…go." She trails off quietly before she finds her self thrust to the other side of the car when they take off. "Oh no, not again."

* * *

"It's a nice ride that you have there Abbie, you know, what with the voice activated control and everything. It's a shame that I drive it better than you do." Casey taunts with a knowing smirk, having reached their reserved room first.

Abbie clenches her teeth once again and the wine glass in her hand nearly shatters from her rapidly tightening grip. "Had someone had a full tank of gas, that wouldn't have been an issue." She all but growls darkly feeling her patience wearing thin. She glares daggers into the smirking redhead across the room before a smug look passes over her face. "So now that we have a little time on our hands Casey, why don't you tell us about your background? You know, how you were born into practically nothing? Or you know, your time at Harvard that never really existed?"

Casey blanches immediately and she swallows thickly though she's determined not to lose her collected composure. "I don't know what you're talking about." She says flatly, trying to get all of the attention off of her self.

"I think you do. See, I have very high friends in very high places, so I know all about you. But we would be here all day if I went through the list and frankly, I don't think any of us here would like to take a trip down to the courthouse. I'm not surprised about all of this you know, seeing as I know that you've been sleeping with my wife."

"I think that this is your last ditch effort to save your narcissistic ego because it's killing you to know that your wife has never been in love with you because she's in love with me."

Abbie's eyes widen briefly before they narrow once again into deadly thin slits. "No she's not." she forces out through clenched teeth, having had enough of this woman who has been nothing but a thorn in her side.

Casey rolls her eyes and shakes her head as she crosses her arms. "Yes she is Abbie, look at her," she begins gesturing her hand towards Alex who has fixated her gaze on the floor. "You're too wrapped up in your self to realize how unhappy she is with you and she is unhappy because she doesn't love you. She never did."

"And you expect me to believe that she could be in love with a lonely marine who has had absolutely nothing all her life? Who everyone turned their back on from the beginning?" Abbie sneers rhetorically, knowing that she's touched a sore spot.

"Shut up!" Casey exclaims, something in her snapping as she quickly crosses the room and wraps both of her hands around the brunette's neck. "You don't know anything about me!" she shouts as she squeezes harder, ignoring the hands clawing mercilessly at her own for release. She knows she's choking her and she knows that she could break her neck in an instant but the scary thing is; she isn't sure that she cares.

Alex puts her hand over her mouth and looks away, completely unsure of what she should do at the moment. She should have known that this would be one of her worst ideas and she is so in shock that she is unable to stop the madness.

"Casey, let her go, she's not worth it." Serena says quietly as she places a calming hand on the redhead's shoulder. She doesn't really care much for Abbie in the first place, but truth be told, she really doesn't want to see Casey get into any kind of trouble. "Casey, she's turning purple. Let her go."

"Yeah and if anyone's gonna kill her, I want it to be me." Kim mutters quietly to her self as she takes a rather nonchalant sip her wine.

No longer seeing violent red, Casey releases her hold which causes Abbie to immediately collapse to the floor in a fit of coughing and gasping for air of any kind. She physically relaxes, feeling slightly ashamed at letting her self get carried away like that.

"Alex, tell her you're leaving. Tell her that you've never loved her and it will all be over. I'll take you away from her all you have to do is tell her. Please." Casey whispers into Alex's ear, feeling even more ashamed when she realizes she's frightened the blonde. "Alex, please. I just…I just got angry. You know I'm not like that. Please Alex. Tell her and it will all be over."

"Alex don't listen to her," Abbie chimes in, her voice coming out as hoarse as she regains her composure. "Don't…don't listen to her, and come home with me."

Alex feels tears spring to her eyes as she looks down at the floor again. "Abbie, I—I'm sorry." she whispers, her voice quivering before she takes a much need deep breath as she looks up again. "I can't do that…I'm sorry."

Abbie's face drops as she realizes that her world is literally crashing down around her. "What? What are you saying Alex?"

"I'm not going home with you. I-I don't love you. I love Casey and I want to be with her. I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I just…I didn't know how."

"You…you didn't love me?"

"I'm afraid I didn't…I tried, but I…I couldn't do it."

"But Ali, what about…what about everything we've had together? I've done nothing but take care of you Alex, you know that. We're married and you're my wife. Alex…" Abbie pauses her voice dropping down to a pleading tone. "Alex, you-you're having our baby."

The statement causes Alex's heart to cringe as she drops her head once more. "I know." she says quietly before looking up again. "I didn't know how to say no when you said that you wanted to have children. I had always wanted a child and I thought that being pregnant would make me happy but it's not Abbie. I'm not happy here, but whenever I'm with Casey, I feel like I did all those years ago. I'm happy with her Abbie; and I want to be with her. I'm sorry."

Abbie mentally curses when the foreign feeling of tears appearing behind her eyes and she blinks rapidly to keep them at bay. "Alex, don't do this to me. I love you. Please. Don't leave me."

"I'm sorry…" Alex whispers quietly before she looks at Casey pleadingly. "Can you take me home? Please?"

"Anything," Casey whispers as she puts her hand on the small of Alex's back, bidding a quite good day to Kim and Serena before they exit the room, leaving the women in their wake in complete and utter silence.

**Meanwhile…**

"Where did you get this?! Who are you seeing!?" Olivia exclaims angrily as she clutches the expensive necklace that she had all but ripped off of her wife's neck. "Answer me! Where did you get this necklace!"

"I bought it!" Amanda exclaims with tears streaming down her face as she fights for the necklace. "Please give it back! I bought it myself!"

"With what money!" the brunette exclaims as she forcefully brings her wife closer to her. She isn't at all a violent person and she would never lay a hand on her wife, but right now she's angry and she wants answers. "Tell me where you got this!"

Amanda panics internally as she continues to try and fight for her necklace which is single handedly the nicest thing that anyone has ever given her in her entire life. "Please! Just give it back!"

Liv's eyes flare with anger as she clutches the necklace tighter and backs away. "Not until you give me some answers!"

Giving up, Amanda shakes her head and storms out of the shop. She practically sprints to her car and jumps in, all the while ignoring her wife's pleading shouts for her to come back. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she turns on her car and immediately speeds out of the driveway, not giving any mind to her recklessness.

The tears continue to flow heavily and it's almost as if as soon as she wipes them away, more appear in her face. It isn't until then that she realizes that the first woman that she was ever in love with, never really loved her back. She was always the little bit on the side that was being used for nothing more than a good time. While she was feeling nothing but love, it never occurred to her that all Abbie felt was lust.

As her body begins to break down into hysteric sobs, the distraught blonde loses focus and she doesn't realize that she has ran a red light until it is far too late. Her car soon plows violently into the other car in the middle of the intersection and as the airbags fail to deploy, she finds her self lurched into immediate blackness.

* * *

Rattled but conscious, Alex immediately staggers out of the driver's seat of Casey's car, gasping to catch her breath from what has just transpired. Casey soon follows her out of the car, having had to climb over from the crunched in passenger seat.

"Hey, shhh, you're okay. I'm okay. Everything's fine." Casey whispers as Alex begins sobbing and clutching her like her whole life depends on it.

"Casey, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Baby, it's not your fault. You hear me? It's not your fault. You call 911 and I'm going to go check on the other driver, okay?"

Casey watches as Alex nods shakily and rummages for a phone before she takes a deep breath and makes her way over towards the carnage that is the other car. She gasps as she sees the blonde woman wide eyed and hunched over the steering wheel. It's clear that her airbags didn't deploy like they were supposed to.

"Oh no…" the redhead murmurs to her self as her military training kicks in and she immediately opens the door without hesitation. She cradles the woman in her arms before she gently lays her down onto the ground. "Alex!"

Alex runs over having ended her phone call, still really rattled from the accident. "911 is on its way." she says hastily, as her eyes land on the woman lying on the ground and she immediately recognizes who she is. "O-oh my god. I know her. Is she alright?"

"She's not…" Casey murmurs as she places her fingers to the blonde woman's neck, her eyes still wide with fear and emptiness. She shakes her head as she pulls her fingers away and looks up at Alex who is gazing at her expectantly.

"She's dead, Alex."

**Uh oh…this is bad….leave your thoughts? **


End file.
